<§roup  of  ComeUtans 


BY 


WILLIAM    L.    KEESE 


publication^  of  €l)e  SDunlap  £ocietp. 

f  orb,  I90i. 


This  is  one  of  an  edition  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-five  copies  printed  from  type  for  the  Dunlap 
Society  in  the  month  of  December,  1901. 


HENRY  PLACIDE. 


GROUP  OF  COMEDIANS 


BY 

WILLIAM  L.  KEESE 


NEW  YORK 

THE  DUNLAP  SOCIETY 
1901 


, 

r 


Copyright  by 

WILLIAM  L    KEESE 

1901 


PREFACE 

THE  group  of  comedians  treated  of  in  these 
pages  are  actors  of  a  past  generation,  but  they 
still  live  in  the  memories  of  many  playgoers.  The 
thought  will  no  doubt  occur  to  many  that  the  great 
Burton  might  well  have  been  included,  and  so  he 
would  have  been  had  he  not  been  celebrated  in  my 
published  volume  of  his  life. 

It  does  not  seem  needful  to  dwell  here  upon  such 
comedians  as  Henry  Placide,  William  Rufus  Blake, 
John  Brougham,  George  Holland,  and  Charles 
Fisher.  Their  achievements  are  well  known  to 
stage  historians,  and  the  rehearsal  of  them  will 
recall  many  an  hour  of  past  delight,  while  to  those 
of  a  younger  generation  it  will  be  interesting  to 
read  a  chronicle  of  the  triumphs  of  what  their 
elders  call  the  "palmy  days"  of  the  drama. 

WILLIAM  L.  KEESE. 
BROOKLYN,  October,  1901. 


M170486 


HENRY  PLACIDE 


1799-1870 

A  MONG  comedians  of  the  past  whose  artistic 
jTTL  achievements  have  conspicuous  record  in  dra- 
matic annals,  there  is  none  whose  acting  won  more 
unqualified  approval  from  the  critics  and  the  pub- 
lic than  that  of  Henry  Placide. 

In  general,  every  comedian  has  his  limitations, 
and  it  is  too  much  to  expect  that  equal  excellence 
will  attend  every  impersonation.  We  know  that 
there  are  times  when  the  comedian  seems  to  have 
ill  chosen  his  part,  or  that  the  part  is  not  suited 
to  his  gifts ;  we  perceive  that  our  favorite  is  a  little 
out  of  his  element ;  the  conviction  is  brought  home 
to  us  that  there  is  a  lack  of  affinity  here,  or  the 
simulation  is  faulty,  or  perhaps  it  is  that  the  acting 
is  perfunctory,  owing  to  lack  of  interest — at  all 
events,  whatever  the  cause,  we  are  disappointed, 
and  we  are  likely  to  recall  certain  other  delineations 
of  the  comedian  in  which  no  such  shortcomings 
could  be  detected.  This  is  only  another  way  of 
hinting  that  though  Bottom  could  discharge  Pyra- 
mus,  he  might  not  with  equal  felicity  have  dis- 
charged Thisbe  and  the  Lion. 


of  Comefciattf 


/  It  was  the  happy  gift  of  Placide  that  he  never 
kindled  disappointment  and  never  failed  to  satisfy. 
Whatever  the  character,  you  felt  it  was  in  safe 
hands  and  could  not  be  bettered.  He  was  so  em- 
phatically an  artist  that  all  his  embodiments  bore 
the  impress  of  a  master  hand.  Of  course,  he  had 
his  famous  parts  and  those  of  less  renown,  but  as 
he  never  slighted  anything,  his  artistic  sense  was 
manifested  in  the  little  as  in  the  great.  It  was  al- 
ways his  way,  throughout  his  repertory,  to  present 
a  finished  picture.  The  same  propriety  was  visible 
throughout  his  range  of  parts  from  the  lowest  to 
the  highest.  That  anything  that  was  worth  doing  at 
all  was  worth  doing  well  seemed  to  be  his  feeling, 
and  his  appearance  in  any  cast  was  a  guarantee  of 
thoughtful  and  painstaking  effort.  This  fidelity 
to  nature  gave  him  enviable  distinction,  for  his 

/  versatility  was  extraordinary.  He  could  present 
the  Fat  Boy,  in  "Pickwick"  ;  Zekiel  Homespun,  in 
the  "Heir  at  Law";  Doctor  Caius,  in  the  "Merry 
Wives";  Dogberry,  in  "Much  Ado";  Doctor  Olla- 
pod,  in  the  "Poor  Gentleman"  ;  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  in 
the  "School  for  Scandal"  ;  Silky,  in  the  "Road  to 
Ruin"  —  and  as  the  eye  and  mind  studied  these  con- 
trasting pictures  of  life  and  manners,  the  marvel 
was  that  one  actor  was  portraying  them  all,  and 
doing  it  with  such  admirable  discrimination  that 
one  seemed  quite  as  meritorious  as  the  other. 

V  This  adaptability  was  due  to  exceptional  powers  of 

/observation  and  a  studious  consideration  of  the 


character  to  be  assumed;  his  conceptions  were  „• 
therefore  the  fruit  of  thoughtful  appreciation,  and  \s 
the  character  to  be  represented  became  a  clear  im-  v 
age  in  his  mind.  As  to  execution,  nature  had  en- 
dowed him  generously.  He  was  of  medium  height, 
easy  in  movement,  a  face  of  marked  distinction  in 
repose,  but  with  great  flexibility  of  feature,  and 
lighted  by  expressive  dark  eyes.  His  voice  was 
clear  and  melodious,  and  his  lines  were  spoken 
with  just  emphasis  and  perfect  articulation.  His 
elocution,  indeed,  was  exceptional  and  distin- 
guished, and  I  believe  that  those  who  nowadays 
recall  the  acting  of  Placide  are  quite  as  likely  to 
dwell  on  his  crisp  and  distinct  utterance  as  on  his 
delineations  of  character.  Every  stage  historian 
that  I  have  read  seems  to  have  been  so  impressed, 
and  Ireland  says,  in  referring  to  his  versatility,  that 
only  in  voice  was  he  to  be  recognized.  Disguise 
it  as  he  would,  he  was  sure  to  betray  himself  to  a 
familiar  ear.  But  although  a  familiar  ear  might 
detect  the  same  voice  in  the  persons  of  SYr  Har court 
Courtly  and  Grandfather  Whitehead,  all  sense  was 
lost  in  the  wonder  and  delight  born  of  those  fa- 
mous assumptions. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  of  this  fine  come- 
dian and  admirable  man,  and  there  is  no  dissenting 
voice  with  regard  to  his  professional  renown  and 
his  personal  virtues.  Held  in  popular  esteem  wher- 
ever known,  and  long  a  favorite  on  the  New  York 
stage,  he  easily  and  naturally  stands  first  in  my 


31 


Group  of  Comedians.     I  hope  my  record  of  his 
career  may  open  a  page  of  pleasant  memory. 

Henry  Placide  was  born  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  September  8,  1799.  He  was  the  son  of 
Alexandre  Placide,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  and  his 
second  wife.  The  profession  of  the  father  was 
that  of  gymnast  and  rope-dancer,  in  which  line  of 
performance  he  was  highly  accomplished.  In  com- 
pany with  his  first  wife,  he  first  appeared  in  Amer- 
ica, at  the  John  Street  Theatre,  New  York  City, 
February  3,  1792.  Losing  his  partner,  he  sought 
other  fields,  and  in  the  course  of  time  he  became. 
manager  of  the  Charleston  Theatre,  South  Caro- 
lina. It  was  while  conducting  this  enterprise  that 
he  married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Wrighten,  daugh- 
ter of  Mrs.  Wrighten,  the  popular  vocalist  of 
Drury  Lane,  known  in  America  as  Mrs.  Pownall. 
The  sons  and  daughters  of  this  union  were  des- 
tined to  perpetuate  the  name  of  Placide.  They  all 
achieved  distinction,  and,  though  outshone  by  the 
fame  of  the  elder  brother,  their  names  have  con- 
spicuous and  honorable  record  in  theatrical  history. 
Those  names  (besides  Henry)  are  Caroline,  Eliza, 
Jane,  and  Thomas.  Caroline  Placide  became  Mrs. 
Waring,  and  subsequently  Mrs.  W.  R.  Blake,  and 
as  Mrs.  Waring  was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Wallack,  Jr.  As  Mrs.  Blake  she  was  for  many 
years  an  established  favorite  with  the  public.  Eliza 
Placide  came  early  on  the  stage  (indeed,  all  the 
Placides  were  precocious  in  that  respect)  and  won 


^r  ntp  $Iacibe 


popularity  as  a  vocalist  and  actress  of  light  parts, 
but  was  not  specially  distinguished.  She  became 
successively  Mrs.  Asbury  and  Mrs.  Mann.  Jane 
Placide  began  her  career  as  a  dancer,  progressed 
to  the  acting  of  youthful  characters,  when,  obeying 
her  ambition,  she  studied  for  the  higher  walks  of 
the  drama,  and  eventually  became  a  tragic  actress 
of  renown,  particularly  in  the  South  and  West. 
I  believe  she  never  married.  Thomas  Placide  was 
an  acceptable  low  comedian,  and  played  with  suc- 
cess at  most  of  the  theatres  of  his  time,  but  he  was 
not  to  be  compared  with  his  brother  Henry.  The 
brothers  often  acted  together,  notably  as  the  two 
Dromios,  in  the  "Comedy  of  Errors."  It  is  dis- 
tressing to  note  that  Thomas  Placide,  while  suf- 
fering from  a  cancerous  affection,  committed  sui- 
cide in  the  summer  of  1877. 

The  Anthony  Street  Theatre,  in  New  York  City, 
is  recorded  as  the  scene  of  Henry  Placide's  profes- 
sional beginnings,  where,  in  company  with  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  he  acted  some  minor  parts  as 
early  as  1814.  He  was  then  fifteen  years  of  age, 
and  the  buds  of  promise  were  showing.  Earlier 
than  that,  however,  he  probably  appeared  in  some 
of  his  father's  pantomimes  and  ballets;  and  there 
is,  indeed,  record  of  such  appearances  at  the  Park 
Theatre  in  1807,  and  with  the  Charleston  company 
in  Augusta,  Georgia,  in  1808,  where,  by  the  way, 
his  name  was  first  printed  in  the  play-bill,  the  date 
being  October  14.  During  the  nine  years  follow- 


8  3d  <&roup  of  €omctrian0 

ing  his  performances  at  the  Anthony  Street  Thea- 
tre in  1814,  he  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  family, 
playing  as  circumstances  permitted,  exercising  his 
musical  and  other  talents  of  inheritance,  adding 
constantly  to  his  histrionic  information,  while  his 
faculties  were  ripening  for  the  career  of  fame  on 
which  he  was  about  to  enter. 

This  entrance  was  effected  on  the  evening  of 
September  2,  1823,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  when  he 
was  announced  to  appear  in  the  characters  of 
Zekiel  Homespun,  in  the  "Heir  at  Law,"  and 
Doctor  Dablancceur,  in  the  "Budget  of  Blun- 
ders." 

Though  we  do  not  attach  the  same  importance 
to  the  debut  of  a  comedian  as  to  that  of  a  trage- 
dian (probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  latter 
essays  the  highest  task  at  once,  and  stands  or  falls 
by  it),  I  see  no  reason  why  this  appearance  of 
Placide  should  not  be  deemed  an  important  event 
in  theatrical  history.  It  is  true  a  comedian  does 
not  leap  into  notoriety  in  one  performance,  as  Gar- 
rick  and  Edmund  Kean  did,  but  in  the  case  of  an 
actor  so  eminent  as  Placide  became  it  is  permissible 
to  make  emphatic  note  of  a  genius  that  at  once 
asserted  itself,  and  was  destined  for  twenty  years 
to  remain  almost  without  a  peer  in  the  range  of 
characters  he  conceived  and  interpreted. 

I  never  saw  his  Zekiel  Homespun,  but  doubt  not 

that  in  his  young  manhood  he  was  spirited  and 

^interesting  in  the  part,  and  that  his  fine  face,  speak- 


HENRY  PLACIDE. 


ing  eye.  and  alert  grace  of  action  Conned  a 
vating  personality.    At  all  events,  it  teems  that  he 
at  once  won  the  favor  of  the  audience,  and  con- 
tinued to  grow  in  popularity  until  he  rivaled  the 
best  efforts  of  the  famous  HUson  and  Barnes,  who 
were  above  htm  in  position  aixi  reputation  on  the 
Park  stage,  and  finally  had  the  field  to  himself, 
having  demonstrated  his  ability  to  equal  and  even 
furpast  their  chute  n  impcnOMDOns.    The 
merit  of  his  genius  revealed  a  versatile 
that  was  surprising.    So  keen  was  his  perception/ 
of  human  trahs,  habits,  foibles,  and  peculiarities/ 
and  so  competent  and  painstaking  was  his  detinev' 
ation  of  them,  that  each  character  he  embodied  wasx 
at  once  a  portrait  and  a  revelation.    Such  general./ 
excellence  is  unusual,  and  recalls  what  was  said 
m  the  beginning—that  Ptacide  never  slighted  any- 
thing.   Writing  of  him  at  thU  period.  Ireland  says : 
*  <  <ii  clowns  of  the  broadest  Yorkshire;  dialect 
to  the  most  mincing  Cockney  cit.  in  the  garrulous 

t?*^***l**u*m**     AM«|     •*--     l«.f«l«    tir.il     t.'n  *• 

rrencnmaM  ano  ine  niun-ureu  rjig 

ff  lw»       At  ffTlff  hi  f***.ff        FttfefW*       f^f       ffftwt       iVtfWW^tf^^ff         I    f^f\  j4j"Ml 

man,  in  the  clumsy  hobbledehoy  or  the  pathetk 
childishness  of  extreme  old  age,  he  was  equally 

I         W^h^^*^        m   —   -*-          ^  emmm^  f^^m        ^^^^A^h^M^^^     **  *f^  ?  m         ^— ^^A-»^^         m 

at  nome  an<i  cquajiy  superior.  •  nts  covers  a 
wide  range,  but  it  does  not  say  too  much.  And 
Ireland  is  not  alone,  MI  have  seen  I hlim  and 
Ftrren."  said  Edwin  Forrest,  in  1835,  "yet  I  have 
nothing  to  alter  the  opinion  which  I  have  long 
that  Henry  Phdde  is  the 

2 


43roup 


the  stage  in  his  own  diversified  range."  George 
Vandenhoff,  in  writing  of  his  first  appearance  at 
the  Park  Theatre  in  "Hamlet,"  in  1842,  says: 
"Mr.  Placide,  the  best  Polonius  and  the  best  actor 
in  his  varied  line  in  the  country,  was  the  Polo- 
nius." But  I  might  quote  many  pages  of  just  such 
tributes. 

With  this  recognition  and  appreciation  of  his 
abilities,  the  comedian  pursued  his  way  and  became 
widely  known  throughout  the  Union,  always  the 
same  conscientious  artist  and  never  relaxing  effort 
to  better  what  was  already  so  admirable. 

He  was  a  particular  favorite  in  the  South  and 
West,  and  I  find  many  references  to  him  in  N.  M. 
Ludlow's  interesting  volume,  "Dramatic  Life  as  I 
Found  It."  This  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  drama  in  the  region  of  the  Mississippi  valley 
is  well  worth  reading,  on  account  of  the  noted 
names  that  appear  in  Mr.  Ludlow's  records.  At 
one  time  or  another  the  most  distinguished  artists, 
native  and  foreign,  played  engagements  at  the  thea- 
tres under  his  management — such  names  as  the 
elder  Booth,  Macready,  Cooper,  Forrest,  Charles 
Kean,  the  elder  Wallack,  Power,  Blake,  Barrett, 
Brougham,  and  many  others  familiar  to  students 
of  the  stage.  Placide  was  a  prime  attraction,  and 
his  engagement  was  looked  forward  to  with  eager 
interest.  Mr.  Ludlow  recalls  his  first  appearance 
in  New  Orleans,  in  1843,  when  he  acted  Grand- 


father  Whitehead.  "Mr.  Placide  made  a  great  im- 
pression on  his  audience  in  his  representation  of 
Grandfather  Whitehead,  and  while  he  repeated  it 
the  receipts  were  better  than  those  of  any  other  of 
his  nights,  and  in  previous  or  later  years  such  fine 
and  artistic  acting  would  have  filled  the  theatre 
for  many  nights.  It  was  a  masterly  specimen  of 
acting,  and  is  fixed  in  my  memory  among  the  great 
gems  of  histrionic  art  with  which  I  have  met  in  my 
long  acquaintance  with  the  drama."  Grandfather 
Whitehead  was  a  renowned  performance.  I  re- 
member well  when  I  first  saw  it,  and  how  deeply 
it  impressed  me.  It  was  a  perfect  picture  of 
thetic  decrepitude,  yet  still  with  a  suggestion  olX 
dignity,  and  the  mist  gathered  in  many  eyes  durry' 
ing  the  affecting  portrayal. 

My  playgoing  days  may  be  said  to  have  begun 
when  the  great  Burton  established  himself  in 
Chambers  Street.  This  was  in  the  summer  of 
1848.  At  that  time  Placide  had  touched  the  top 
round  of  fame,  and  was  in  his  ripe  prime.  His 
Sir  Peter  Teazle,  Sir  Anthony  Absolute,  Sir  Har- 
court  Courtly,  and  Lord  Ogleby  were  acknow- 
ledged to  be  unexcelled  on  this  side  the  water,  and 
there  were  many  kindred  delineations  that  revived 
the  best  traditions  of  Farren,  Munden,  and  Emery. 
His  performances  were  varied  by  other  examples 
in  his  repertory,  such  as  Doctor  Ollapod,  Colonel 
Hardy,  Sir  William  Daventry,  and  others,  and  his 


12  311  4$roup  of  Comefcian£ 

famous  specialties  of  Jean  Jacques  Frisac,  Mons. 
Dufard,  Haversac,  and  Grandfather  Whitehead, 
with  an  occasional  operatic  venture,  for  he  was  an 
admirable  buffo  vocalist,  and  in  earlier  years  was  a 
frequent  performer  in  that  line.  His  familiarity 
with  the  French  language  made  him  an  expert  in 
those  Gallic  parts  mentioned  above,  and  which 
now  seem  to  have  vanished  from  the  stage.  But 
there  must  be  some  recollection  still  of  Frisac  or 
Dr.  Caius  that  will  bear  witness  to  his  inimitable 
manner,  and  to  his  facile  blending  of  the  grave 
and  gay.  And,  thinking  of  Frisac,  I  am  tempted 
to  relate  a  pleasantry  of  Placide's.  The  occasion 
was  a  supper  at  Burton's  home  in  Hudson  Street, 
Placide  being  one  of  the  guests.  The  drama  of 
"Paris  and  London,"  in  which  Frisac  appears,  was 
then  playing  at  the  Chambers  Street  Theatre. 
Among  the  wines  on  the  table  was  a  cordial  called 
"Rose,"  to  which  he  was  quite  partial.  In  the 
course  of  the  repast  the  bottle  passed  from  his 
vicinity.  Wishing  to  replenish  his  glass,  he  looked 
about  him  for  his  favorite.  He  did  not  perceive 
it,  and  Burton,  noticing  his  roving  glance,  s/aid, 
"What  will  you  have,  Harry?"  At  that  moment 
Placide  descried  the  cordial,  and,  rising  and  reach- 
ing over,  he  seized  the  bottle  and,  holding  it  up  tri- 
umphantly, sang  the  lines  of  Frisac: 

"Ah,  Rose,  have  I  found  you  ?     My  folly  forgive, 
Or  despair  will  become  my  grave-digger." 


Those  who  remember  Placide  in  the  part  can  fancy 
the  happy  effect  of  his  impromptu  assumption  of 
the  impressible  Frenchman. 

In  those  days  I  used  to  think  Placide  was  equal 
to  anything,  but  I  believe  I  shall  have  to  make 
one  exception.  I  never  saw  him  play  Captain 
Cuttle;  but  with  Burton's  incomparable  portrayal 
in  mind,  somehow  I  cannot  imagine  any  one  else 
playing  it  but  Burton.  Possibly,  had  there  been 
no  Burton,  Placide  would  have  scored  another  vic- 
tory. But  really  there  has  been  but  one  Captain 
Cuttle  that  stands  potentially  clear  in  memory.  It 
was  on  July  24,  1848,  that  "Dombey  and  Son"  was 
produced  at  Burton's,  and  about  four  months  later 
"Edith;  or,  Dealings  with  the  Firm  of  Dombey-- 
and  Son"  was  given  at  the  Park.  It  may  be  of 
interest  to  note  the  respective  casts. 

BURTON'S  (Brougham's  version) 

Dombey MR.  VARREY. 

Carker  "    MARSHALL. 

Major  Bagstock  "    BROUGHAM. 

Toots  "    RAYMOND. 

Walter  Gay  "    DUNN. 

Sol  Gills  "    THAYER. 

Captain  Cuttle   "    BURTON. 

Jack  Bunsby   "    BROUGHAM. 

Edith   MRS.  A.  KNIGHT. 

Mrs.  Skewton  "     HUGHES. 

Florence   Miss  J.  HILL. 

Susan  Nipper  MRS.  BROUGHAM. 


31 45r0in>  of  Comtbiang 


PARK  (Walcot's  version) 

Captain  Cuttle    MR.  PLACIDE. 

Dombey  '    J.  GILBERT. 

Carker  "    C.  W.  CLARKE. 

Major  Bagstock  "    G.  BARRETT. 

Toots  "    WALCOT. 

Walter  Gay  "    MOORHOUSE. 

Mr.  Chick "    HENRY  HUNT. 

Jack  Bunsby   "    JAMES  SCOTT. 

Rob  the  Grinder "    W.  B.  CHAPMAN. 

Edith    MRS.  SHAW. 

Mrs.  Skewton  "     J.  GILBERT. 

Florence    "     WALCOT. 

Mrs.  Chick  "     WINSTANLEY. 

Miss  Tox  "     DYOTT. 

Susan  Nipper Miss  TAYLOR. 

Mrs.  Pipchin  "      GORDON. 

Mrs.  Brown  MRS.  KNIGHT. 

Mrs.  McStinger   MR.  H.  HUNT  ! 

The  Park  cast  was  a  surprising  distribution,  but, 
says  Ireland,  "admirable  as  was  the  acting  of  Pla- 
cide  and  Walcot,  neither  of  them  could  stand  for  a 
moment  against  the  superlative  merit  of  Burton 
and  Raymond." 

v/^      Placide  was  not  broadly  funny,  like  Burton  or 
x  Holland,  but  he  was  the  owner  of  a  rich  vein  of  ec- 
y-   centric  humor  which  appeared  in  effective  develop- 
ment  in  such  characters  as  Ollapod,  Frisac,  Mons. 
Dufard,  and  the  Clowns  of  Shakspere.     In  Bur- 
ton's revival  of  "Twelfth  Night"  he  contributed, 
as  the  Clown,  greatly  to  the  success  and  enjoyment 


of  the  comedy.    His  admirable  elocution  gave  point 
and  vivacity  to  everything  he  said,  for,  indeed,  his^. 
humor  was  expressed  quite  as  much  in  felicity  of  V- 
utterance  as  in  manner  and  action.    His  sense  of  ^ 
the  comic  was  disclosed  without  buffoonery.     In  v. 
the  scene  of  the  orgy  he  divided  the  honors  with 
Burton  and  Barrett  as  Belch  and  Aguecheek,  but 
his  humorous  cooperation  in  that  ludicrous  situa- 
tion was  still  governed  by  his  artistic  discretion. 

This  discretion  was  a  ruling  faculty  with  him, 
and  he  had  appraised  it  at  its  true  value.    He  had 
begun  with  it,  and  he  never  lost  sight  of  it.    A  con- 
sideration of  it  leads  me  to  the  belief  that  here  may 
be  found  the  reason  why  his  acting  offered  no 
points  to  the  imitator;  for  it  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  among  the  many  imitations  on  record  of  fa- 
mous actors  by  mimetic  experts,  no  attempt  was 
ever  made  to  imitate  Placide.    I  say  his  acting  of- 
fered no  points  to  the  imitator.    I  mean  that  he  had 
no  mannerisms  that  would  tempt  exaggeration — nos/,~ 
peculiarities  that  could  be  called  Placidean  and  al-  v 
ways  in  evidence.    He  so  identified  himself  with  the 
part  assumed  that  the  portrayal  was  simply  a  piece /, 
of  natural  acting.     His  own  personality  was  lost  J, 
in  the  character,  so  that  in  fact  there  was  no  Pla-'  , 
cide  to  imitate — except,  indeed,  in  the  matter  of  •>'/ 
voice. 

I  suppose  Placide's  fame  will  rest  on  his  assump- 
tions of  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  Sir  Har court  Courtly,  Sir 
Anthony  Absolute,  Sir  William  Fondlove,  and  the 


l6  %  <*5r ou jr  of  Comcbiang 

like,  because  they  were  ripe  and  finished  studies  in 
his  repertory  and  belong  to  what  may  be  called 
test-parts ;  but  it  is  difficult,  when  we  consider  his 
length  of  service  and  his  wide  and  varied  range,  to 
pronounce  upon  the  question  with  certainty.  Ire- 
land says  that  his  list  of  characters  on  the  Park 
stage  outnumbered  five  hundred,  and  that  he  was 
the  original  representative  there  of  more  than  two 
hundred.  This  is  a  surprising  record,  and  tells  an 
impressive  story  of  thought  and  application.  How 
few  outside  of  the  profession  realize  the  patient 
thinking  and  constant  toil  that  have  gone  to  the 
making  of  a  character  which  in  the  ease  and  felicity 
of  the  execution  seems  to  be  no  study  at  all ! 

Placide's  Doctor  Ollapod,  Colonel  Hardy,  Dog- 
\\berry,  Polonius,  Farmer  Ashfield,  Fathom,  and 
others  were  greatly  admired,  and  there  were  many 
other  parts  he  made  famous,  most  of  them  prob- 
ably unknown  to  the  present  generation  of  play- 
goers. His  Grandfather  Whitehead,  Frisac,  Mons. 
Dufard,  the  Gravedigger  in  "Hamlet,"  and  the 
rest,  he  had  undeniably  made  his  own,  and  no 
other  name  is  associated  with  them. 

In  the  gallery  of  high  comedy*  he  comes  into 
comparison  with  Blake  and  Gilbert,  and  a  more 
famous  trio  and  one  more  evenly  matched  it  would 
be  hard  to  find.  If  Placide's  Sir  Harcourt  Courtly 
was  inimitable,  Blake's  Old  Dornton  was  unap- 
proachable, and  Gilbert's  Sir  Peter  Teazle  has 
never  been  surpassed.  These  three  comedians  were 


equally  great,  and  their  traditions  are  very  much 
akin. 

"London  Assurance"  was  first  produced  in  Amer- 
ica at  the  Park  Theatre  on  October  n,  1841,  Pla- 
cide  appearing  as  Sir  Harcourt.  The  impression 
he  made  has  never  been  effaced  by  the  performance 
of  any  successor.  The  comedy  proved  the  most 
popular  play  of  the  season.  It  was  cast  as  follows : 

Sir  Harcourt  Courtly  MR.  PLACIDE. 

Charles  Courtly   "    WHEATLEY. 

Dazzle    "    BROWNE. 

Max  Harkaway   "    FISHER. 

Dolly  Spanker   "    WILLIAMS. 

Mark  Meddle   "    LATHAM. 

Cool  "    ANDREWS. 

Lady  Gay  Spanker  Miss  CUSHMAN. 

Grace  Harkaway  "     CLARENDON. 

Pert    .  MRS.  VERNON. 


Placide's  last  appearance  as  one  of  the  stock 
company  at  the  Park,  where  he  had  been  enrolled 
for  over  twenty  years,  occurred  on  November  2, 
1843,  when  he  played  Captain  Tarradiddle,  in 
"What  Will  the  World  Say,"  and  Grandfather 
Whitehead.  Thereafter  he  confined  himself  to 
limited  engagements'  as  a  star  there  and  elsewhere, 
and  after  Burton  opened  in  Chambers  Street,  in 
1848,  he  was  seen  at  that  renowned  temple  of  the 
drama  nearly  every  season  in  a  round  of  his  cele- 
brated parts,  the  same  careful  artist  as  ever  and  giv- 
3 


18  31  <*Broup  of  Comebtang 

ing  delight  to  thousands.  It  was  there  I  first  saw 
him  as  Colonel  Hardy,  in  "Paul  Pry."  I  hear  him 
now,  at 'the  close  of  the  comedy,  when  things  had 
drifted  to  a  happy  anchorage — hear  him  saying,  in 
reply  to  the  soothing  remark,  "Why,  Colonel, 
you  've  everything  your  own  way," — "Yes,  I  know 

I  have  everything  my  own  way;  but,  it,  I 

have  n't  my  own  way  of  having  it !" 

In  choleric  old  men  Placide  was  easily  a  master. 
All  the  touches  that  go  toward  the  creation  of  a 
grim,  irascible,  thwarted,  bluff  old  gentleman  he 
commanded  at  will.     But,  indeed,  he  was  master  of 
all  the  arts  that  are  required  in  the  building  of  a 
^character.     He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  all  the 
J  details  of  theatrical  device,  and  had  left  unstudied 
J  no  trait  or  peculiarity  that  would  identify  him  with 
j  the  part  assumed.     But  in  saying  this  I  am  only 
repeating  myself,  and  I  feel  there  is  no  need  to  par- 
ticularize.   His  versatility  and  the  universal  praise 
bestowed  upon  his  performances  tell  the  story  bet- 
ter than  I  can  hope  to  tell  it. 

The  Winter  Garden,  New  York  City,  was  the 
scene  of  Placide's  last  appearances,  in  the  spring 
of  1865.  He  opened  in  an  original  piece  called 
"Corporal  Cartouche,"  acting  the  titular  character. 
He  closed  his  engagement  with  the  "Old  Guard" 
and  "Secret  Service,"  playing  Haversac  and  Mi- 
chael Perrin,  parts  famous  in  his  hands.  This  was 
the  comedian's  final  farewell,  and  the  audience 
must  have  been  profoundly  affected  at  parting 


with  an  actor  who  had  so  long  enjoyed  the  public 
respect  and  approval,  and  whose  name  was  asso- 
ciated with  so  many  memorable  triumphs. 

For  many  years  after  his  retirement  from  the 
Park  Theatre,  Mr.  Placide  lived  at  Babylon,  Long 
Island,  where  he  was  highly  esteemed  and  always 
an  object  of  affectionate  interest.  He  died  there, 
after  a  protracted  illness,  on  January  23,  1870,  in 
the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age.  This  is  the  record 
of  Ireland.  Another  record  gives  the  year  of  his 
death  as  1869,  and  his  age  as  seventy.  For  a  few 
years  previous  to  his  death  he  suffered  the  affliction 
of  partial  blindness. 

He  married,  in  1845,  tne  daughter  of  James 
McBeth,  an  actor  of  moderate  ability.  Miss  Mc- 
Beth  was  a  minor  actress  and  much  Placide's 
junior.  He  left  her  handsomely  provided  for,  and 
a  number  of  relatives  were  also  generously  remem- 
bered. The  widow  survived  him  over  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  dying  at  Babylon,  Long  Island,  in  the 
same  house  where  her  husband  had  lived  and  died. 
They  had  no  children. 

Contemporary  criticism  is  of  one  accord  as  to  the 
qualities  and  abilities  of  this  great  comedian.  As 
has  been  said,  I  have  encountered  no  dissenting 
voice,  but  the  chorus  of  assent  has  sounded  full 
and  clear.  I  do  not  remember  any  actor  who  re- 
ceived so  much  unmixed  encomium.  And  I  think 
this  praise  was  bestowed  in  recognition  of  the  con- 
stancy and  self-respect  of  his  life ;  the  artistic  spirit 


20 


<*Broiqj  of  Comebiang 


and  exquisite  felicity  with  which  he  conceived  and 
executed  his  long  line  of  stage  portraits,  and  the 
conscientious  regard  in  which  he  held  his  profes- 
sion and  his  fame. 

J      Space  will  not  permit  me  to  set  down  the  many 
I  parts  he  acted,  or  to  go  into  detail  respecting  their 
N^  merits.    Enough  has  been  said  to  indicate  the  wide 
^  range  of  his  repertory,  and  I  have  tried  to  say  what 
I  thought  of  his  artistic  method  and  of  the  ability 
he  displayed  in  giving  form  to  his  conceptions. 
Those  now  living  who  remember  him  will  not  need 
an  analysis  of  his  powers  to  add  to  their  recollec- 
tions.   But  to  the  new  generation  of  playgoers  and 
actors  it  may  be  well  worth  while  to  commend  to 
thoughtful  reflection  an  example  so  inspiring  to  the 
best  accomplishment,  so  marked  by  the  exercise  of 
every  faculty,  so  unwearied  in  worthy  endeavor, 
and  so  illumined  by  high  purpose  as  may  be  found 
in  the  career  of  Henry  Placide. 


WILLIAM  RUFUS  BLAKE 


WILLIAM  RUFUS  BLAKE. 


William  &ufus  9Slafee 

1805-1863 

THIS  comedian,  whose  fame  was  second  to 
none  on  the  American  stage  as  a  representa- 
tive of  old  men,  was  born  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
in  1805,  in  which  place  he  is  said  to  have  made  his 
debut,  acting  in  a  strolling  company.  His  first 
appearance  in  America,  as  recorded  by  H.  P. 
Phelps  in  his  "Players  of  a  Century,"  was  at  the 
New  Constitution  Theatre,  in  North  Pearl  Street, 
Albany  (formerly  the  Thespian  Hotel),  the  date 
being  December  29,  1823.  The  play  was  "The 
Stranger."  He  acted  during  the  winter  of  1823  in 
Albany,  playing  a  round  of  light  comedy  parts, 
with  an  occasional  venture  in  tragedy;  but  I  find 
very  few  particulars  in  theatrical  history  of  this 
stage  of  his  career,  and  regret  that  I  cannot  set 
down  his  various  characters  and  the  casts  of  the 
plays  in  which  he  acted.  He  was  a  captivating 
fellow,  and  stories  are  told  of  him  in  which  he 
appears  to  have  been  vulnerable  to  female  blan- 
dishment ;  but  I  don't  know  how  true  they  are,  and 
they  throw  no  light  on  his  professional  advance- 
ment, unless  to  suggest  that  an  acceptable  lover  off 
23 


the  boards  was  quite  likely  to  be  an  acceptable 
one  on. 

Blake's  first  appearance  in  New  York  was  made 
at  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre,  July  12,  1824, 
when  he  played  Frederick  in  Colman's  "Poor  Gen- 
tleman," and  the  three-part  character  in  "The 
Three  Singles."  He  was  then,  as  just  said,  a  hand- 
some fellow,  of  graceful  bearing  and  vivacious  dis- 
position, and  eminently  fitted  in  person  and  ability 
for  the  young  heroes  of  comedy  and  melodrama,  a 
line  in  which  he  acted  with  marked  success  so  long 
as  his  figure  permitted;  for  nature  had  decreed 
that  Blake's  great  fame  was  not  to  rest  upon  his 
portrayal  of  the  dashing  lover  or  buskined  hero,  by 
paving  in  reserve  for  him  a  rotundity  of  form 
^phich,  though  it  might  bring  joy  to  an  alderman, 
|vas  hardly  the  ideal  physique  for  the  light  come- 
dian. The  time  came  at  last  when,  as  Ireland  re- 
marks, "his  increasing  corpulence  warned  him  that 
his  appearance  was  ill  suited  to  the  dashing  cox- 
comb, silly  fop,  or  sighing  lover;  and,  giving  his 
t  attention  to  the  peculiarities  of  age,  he  succeeded 
;'.in  achieving  a  repute  as  the  representative  of  old 
/men,  both  serious  and  comic,  second  to  none  known 
,to  the  American  stage." 

This  criticism  seems  to  me  entirely  just.  I  can 
recall  no  actor  of  the  past,  not  even  John  Gilbert, 
who  was  superior  to  Blake  in  certain  lines  of  old 
men — certainly  in  the  role  of  tender  pathos  like 
Old  Dornton,  and  in  the  portrayal  of  a  sweetly 


IBiHiam  ftufug  2£>Iafte  2s 


noble  nature  framed  in  venerable  simplicity,  as  in 
Jesse  Rural,  he  was  unexcelled;  and  it  is  simply 
truth  to  say  that  with  him  departed  from  the  stage 
that  unique,  all-affecting,  wondrous  embodiment 
—Geoffrey  Dale,  in  "The  Last  Man." 

It  was  February  21,  1848,  that  Blake  first  ap- 
peared in  New  York  as  Jesse  Rural.  This  was  at 
the  Broadway  Theatre,  and  the  comedian  had  just 
been  announced  as  stage  manager.  It  was  also  his 
first  appearance  for  six  years  in  the  city.  The  cast 
of  "Old  Heads  and  Young  Hearts"  was  as  follows  : 

Earl  Pompion  .....................  MR.  D.  ANDERSON. 

Lord  Charles  Roebuck  .............      "    DAWSON. 

Colonel  Rocket  ....................      "    VACHE. 

Tom  Coke   ........................      "    FLEMING. 

Littleton  Coke  .....................      "    LESTER. 

Jesse  Rural  ........................      "    BLAKE. 

Bob  ...............................      "    HADAWAY. 

Lady  Alice  ........................  Miss  F.  WALLACK. 

Countess  Pompion  .................  MRS.  WINSTANLEY. 

Kate  Rocket  .......................      "     SERGEANT. 

The  comedy  was  repeated  a  number  of  nights, 
and  for  his  benefit  Blake  added  Geoffrey  Dale. 
"The  Last  Man"  was  first  produced  in  New  York  at 
the  Olympic  Theatre,  a  playhouse  which  owed  its 
origin  in  part  to  Blake,  and  of  which  he  was  the 
first  stage  manager.  The  original  cast  of  the 
drama  is  given  in  Laurence  Hutton's  "Plays  and 
Players,"  under  date  of  October  9,  1837,  and  I 
copy  it  from  his  page. 
4 


26  51  tfBtroup  of  4tomebian£ 


THE  LAST  MAN  " 
October  p, 


Geoffrey  Dale  ................  MR.  WILLIAM  R.  BLAKE. 

(The  Miser} 
Henry  Wentworth  ...........      "    COREY. 

(A  City  Blade} 
Major  Battergate  .............      "    W.  JONES. 

(Of  The  Brothers'  Club} 
Lawyer  Weaver  ..............      "    WESTON. 

(From  London} 
Jacob  Codling  ................      "    NICKINSON. 

(The  Miser's  Man} 
Henry  Dare  ..................      "    THOMAN. 

David  Dare  ..................      "    J.  H.  KIRBY. 

(Ruffians.    Alice  Gurton's  Nephews} 
Lucy  Dale  ...................  MRS.  CONWAY. 

(The  Miser's  Niece} 
Alice  Gurton   ................       "     W.  JONES. 

(Old  Maid  of  Eltham} 
Barbara  Gay  .................       "     BLAKE. 

(Pretty  Maid  of  Kent} 

"London  Assurance"  followed  "Old  Heads  and 
Young  Hearts,"  with  the  following  striking  distri- 
bution : 

Sir  Harcourt  Courtly  ..........  MR.  BLAKE. 

Charles  Courtly  ...............      "    G.  VANDENHOFF. 

Dazzle  ........................      "    LESTER. 

Spanker   ......................      "    DAWSON. 

Lady  Gay   ....................  Miss  FANW  Y  WALLACK. 

Grace  Harkaway  ..............       "      ROSE  TELBIN. 


The  Mr.  Lester  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  casts 
was  the  future  Lester  Wallack,  who  made  his  first 
appearance  in  America  at  the  Broadway  Theatre, 
September  27,  1847,  playing  Sir  Charles  Cold- 
stream,  in  "Used  Up." 

Although  Blake's  Sir  Harcourt  had  been  greatly 
admired  in  other  cities,  in  New  York  it  ranked 
below  Henry  Placide's.  With  respect  to  Jesse 
Rural  and  Geoffrey  Dale,  however,  there  was  no 
dissenting  voice.  Nor  has  the  supremacy  of  those 
performances  been  disturbed  by  any  successor. 
During  his  engagement  at  the  Broadway,  Blake 
acted  Grandfather  Whitehead  for  the  first  time  in 
New  York,  a  part  in  which  he  again  came  into 
competition  with  Placide. 

At  the  Chatham  Garden  Theatre,  September  23, 
1824,  Blake  began  his  first  regular  engagement  in 
New  York,  opening  as  Harry  Thunder,  in  "Wild 
Oats."  The  time  came  when  he  was  the  Ephraim 
Smooth  of  the  comedy.  In  the  course  of  the  en- 
gagement many  plays  were  given,  among  them 
Sheridan's  "Pizarro"  and  Poole's  "Married  and 
Single,"  Blake  acting  respectively  Alonzo.  and 
Melford,  and  continuing  with  the  company  for  an- 
other season. 

His  next  engagement  was  at  the  Lafayette  Thea- 
tre, in  Laurens  Street,  opening  July  6,  1826,  with 
Young  Marlow,  in  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer,"  and 
Felix,  in  "The  Hunter  of  the  Alps."  The  cast  of 
the  comedy  was  as  follows  ; 


28  31  Grotty 


Sir  C.  Marlow MR.  JONES. 

Young  Marlow "    BLAKE. 

Hardcastle "    FISHER. 

Hastings "    BERNARD. 

Tony  Lumpkin   "    HYATT. 

Mrs.  Hardcastle  MRS.  FISHER. 

Miss  Hardcastle   Miss  TILDEN. 

Miss  Neville MRS.  JONES. 

During  this  engagement  Mr.  Blake  married  Mrs. 
Waring,  the  widow  of  Leigh  Waring  and  formerly 
Caroline  Placide,  the  date  being  August  26.  For 
his  benefit,  on  September  8  the  farce  of  "Turn  Out" 
was  produced,  in  which  the  lady  made  her  bow  to 
the  public  as  Mrs.  Blake  in  the  character  of  Marian 
Ramsay,  and  the  occasion  was  made  specially  in- 
teresting by  her  husband's  appearance  as  Dr. 
Truckle  in  the  same  play,  his  first  essay  in  an 
elderly  role. 

It  may  be  mentioned  in  passing  that  Mrs.  Blake 
was  a  charming  and  capable  actress,  and  won  re- 
nown in  a  range  of  varied  parts  wherein  the  artis- 
tic faculty  and  ready  versatility  displayed  were  a 
constant  reminder  of  the  family  name  she  bore. 
She  was  long  a  favorite  in  New  York  and  else- 
where, and  worthily  supported  the  professional 
efforts  of  her  husband. 

For  several  years  Blake  played  engagements  at 

V  various  theatres,  acting  his  range  of  light  comedy 

/and  eccentric  characters,  showing  always  ability 

•'    and  comprehension,  but  with  little  suggestion  of 

V 


IBifliam 


the  great  fame  to  come.  The  turning-point  had 
not  yet  been  reached.  His  name  appears  on  the 
bills  of  the  Lafayette,  Bowery,  Chatham  Garden, 
Franklin,  and  Park  theatres,  and  there  were  occa- 
sional starring  tours.  Sometimes  he  was  engaged 
to  play  a  special  part,  and  was  not  always  a  decided 
success.  At  the  Park  Theatre,  in  the  spring  of 
1838,  a  humorous  dramatization  of  "Pickwick" 
was  produced,  and  Blake  was  engaged  to  play  Sam 
Weller.  The  cast  is  of  interest,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  both  Blake  and  Placide  appeared  in  it.  The 
drama  was  performed  under  the  title  of  "Sam 
Weller  ;  or,  the  Pickwickians." 

Pickwick   ..........................  MR.  CHIPPINDALE. 

Augustus  Snodgrass  ...............      "    WHEATLEY. 

Tracy  Tupman   ....................  ISHERWOOD. 

Nathaniel  Winkle  ..................      "    FISHER. 

Mr.  War  die   .......................      "    CLARKE. 

Alfred  Jingle  ......................      "    RICHINGS. 

Old  Weller  ........................      "    BLAKELY. 

Sam  Weller  .......................      "    W.  R.  BLAKE. 

Fat  Boy  ...........................      "    PLACIDE. 

Miss  Rachel  Wardle  ................  MRS.  WHEATLEY. 

Isabella   Wardle    ...................       "     RICHARDSON. 

Emily  Wardle  .....................  Miss  CUSHMAN. 

Mrs.  Leo  Hunter  ...................  MRS.  CHIPPINDALE. 

Mrs.  Bardell  .......................       "     DURIE. 

Ireland,  in  commenting  upon  this  performance, 
says  Blake  "failed  to  impart  the  requisite  expres- 
sion to  the  otherwise  irresistible  jokes  of  that  ever- 


30  31  <*Brou#  of  Comefciattf 

faithful  but  extraordinary  valet,  and  consequently 
gave  but  little  satisfaction  in  the  part."  He 
thought  he  would  have  played  the  Fat  Boy  much 
better,  though  not  more  effectively,  than  Placide, 
who  was  inimitable.  With  my  recollection  of 
Blake  in  after  life,  I  can  fancy  him  an  admirable 
Pickwick  or  Tupman,  but  not  in  the  least  a  Sam 
Wetter.  Even  Burton  failed  to  carry  a  realization 
of  Sam  to  the  minds  of  his  audience  when  he 
played  the  part  in  Chambers  Street.  Thinking  of 
Dickens,  what  a  Turveydrop  Blake  would  have 
made!  He  was  once  billed  for  the  character 
at  Wallack's  in  Brougham's  version  of  "Bleak 
House,"  but  I  believe  never  played  it ;  why,  I  know 
not. 

It  was  on  September  13,  1837,  that  the  Olympic 
Theatre  was  opened  to  the  public.  The  proprie- 
tors were  Messrs.  Willard  and  Blake,  the  latter 
caring  for  the  stage  management.  A  poetical  ad- 
dress, written  by  Mr.  E.  Burke  Fisher  for  the  occa- 
sion, was  delivered  by  Blake,  and  received  with 
enthusiasm.  The  last  verse  was  as  follows  : 


"Friends  of  the  Drama!  pointing  skyward  now, 
We  ask  a  wreath  to  deck  the  Drama's  brow ; 
Let  them  no  ivy  with  Joy's  laurels  twine, 
No  dregs  of  Sorrow  mingle  with  Mirth's  wine — 
We  bid  you  here  to  laugh,  and  not  to  weep ; 
To  wake  your  mirth,  and  hush  your  cares  to  sleep; 
This  will  we  do,  and  trust  your  smiles  to  win ; 
We  will  pay  out,  so  long  as  you  pay  in!" 


J©ffliam  fcufug  SWafee  31 

The  bill  of  the  evening  comprised  the  farce  of 
"Perfection,"  "The  Lady  and  the  Devil,"  and  "The 
Married  Rake,"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blake  appearing  in 
the  second  piece.  For  a  few  months  the  Olympic's 
patrons  were  entertained  by  divers  laughable  pieces, 
when  the  comedian  severed  his  connection  with  the 
theatre,  and  not  long  afterwards  sailed  for  Europe. 
But  he  left  behind  him  the  memory  of  his  cele- 
brated performance  of  Geoffrey  Dale,  already 
chronicled.  His  farewell  benefit  took  place  at  the 
Franklin  Theatre,  October  24,  1838,  when  he  ap- 
peared in  that  character  and  in  "The Three  Singles." 

Of  Blake's  performances  across  the  water  I  can 
find  no  record.  I  am  not  sure  that  his  visit  was 
strictly  a  professional  one,  but  it  is  certain  that  he 
played  a  short  engagement  at  the  Haymarket  in 
London.  This  was  in  1839,  when  he  had  not  fully 
established  himself  as  the  representative  of  the  fa- 
mous old  men  of  the  drama.  Ten  years  later,  had 
he  played  in  England,  his  Old  Dornton  would  have 
revived  recollections  of  the  celebrated  Munden, 
and  his  Jesse  Rural,  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  and  Sir  An- 
thony Absolute  would  have  won  admiration  from 
a  London  audience.  I  know  not  how  long  he  re- 
mained abroad,  but  six  years  elapsed  before  he  ap- 
peared again  in  New  York.  This  was  at  the 
Broadway,  in  1848,  when  he  acted  Jesse  Rural,  as 
already  cited.  During  the  few  years  after  his  re- 
turn from  Europe  he  probably  played  in  other 
cities  and  managed  theatres,  and  perhaps  was  en- 


32  91  <&rou£  of  Comebiang 

gaged  in  study  and  preparation  for  the  change  in 
ls  professional  line.  For  now  it  was  clear  that  the 
of  Frederick  and  Young  Marlow  was  over,  and 
reign  of  Sir  Robert  Bramble  and  Old  Hard- 
^,/tastle  had  begun.  For  fifteen  years  the  stage  was 
u  to  enjoy  the  boon  of  a  gallery  of  portraits  unex- 
in  artistic  and  sympathetic  portrayal,  and 
has  given  splendor  and  importance  to  dra- 
annals. 

^/    Nature  had  generously  endowed  Blake  for  the 
^.creation  of  his  masterpieces.    He  possessed  all  the 
^qualifications  requisite  for  his  adopted  line,  and 
^displayed  the  happiest  skill  in  developing  his  char- 
peters.     His  conceptions  were  the  fruit  of  obser- 
^vation  and  reflection,  and  he  brought  to  his  intel- 
Jfcctual  limning  a  keen  perception  of  the  informing 
.traits  of  his  subject.     He  appreciated  the  differ- 
,/ences  and  peculiarities  that  are  observable  in  hu- 
/man  nature,  and  no  detail  escaped  him  that  would 
s/secure  verisimilitude  for  his  portrait.    Some  years 
ago,  in  a  brief  notice  of  the  comedian,  I  used  these 
words :  "The  characteristics  of  Blake's  power  were 
a  broad  heartiness,  suggestive  sentiment,  and  elo- 
quent idealization.     These  traits  informed  respec- 
tively the  parts  he  essayed,  and  gave  to  each  in  turn 
rare  flow  of  spirit,  richness  of  color,  and  poetic 
fervor.    For  the  verbal  expression  of  these  salient 
t/elements,  he  possessed  a  tuneful  voice,  which  rose 
\/or  fell  as  the  sway  of  feeling  dictated,  and  his  de- 
was  singularly  felicitous  in  tone  and  empha- 


SDifliatn  fiufri   2&Iafte  33 


t^is."  I  could  not  say  anything  better  now,  but  I 
can  add  that  he  was  gifted  with  a  delightful  hu- 
mor,  which,  subtly  and  delicately  expressed,  lent  , 
sweetness  and  charm  to  many  of  his  impersona- 
tions.  And  I  think  his  rotundity  of  figure,  far 
from  acting  to  his  disadvantage,  often  aided 
effect  of  his  portrayals  by  suggesting  dignity 
consequence. 

The  first  time  I  saw  Blake  was  in  "The  Road  to 
Ruin,"  and  the  impression  he  made  has  never  been 
effaced.  I  was  young,  it  is  true,  and  sentimental, 
and  easily  moved;  but  my  heart  tells  me  that  the 
effect  would  be  the  same  could  I  see  the  actor  in 
the  play  to-morrow.  I  have  read  since  of  the  ex- 
traordinary sensation  produced  by  the  great  Mun- 
den  in  the  part  of  Old  Dornton,  but  I  have  an  abid- 
ing faith  that  the  acting  of  the  famous  Englishman 
would  have  been  no  revelation  to  Blake  ;  and  I  can- 
not, indeed,  conceive  of  any  added  touch  that 
would  not  have  impaired,  rather  than  heightened, 
the  latter's  superb  delineation.  But  Blake's  por- 
trayal of  the  outraged,  doting,  fond,  tender  father 
is,  like  his  Jesse  Rural,  as  fresh  in  many  memories 
as  it  is  in  mine.  I  shall  never  forget  its  pathos 
and  its  truth. 

During  Blake's  engagement  at  the  Broadway  in 
1848,  John  Brougham's  comedy  of  "Romance  and 
Reality"  was  produced  for  the  first  time  on  April 
17.  It  was  highly  approved,  and  had  a  successful 
run.  The  cast  was  as  follows  ; 
5 


34  31  «Srou£  of  Comebiang 


Asper  Manly MR.  BLAKE. 

Oliver  Manly  "    VACHE. 

Jack  Swift "    BROUGHAM. 

Frank  Meredith "    FLEMING. 

Lavender  Kyd  DAWSON. 

Tom  Badger "    HADAWAY. 

Rosabel Miss  FANNY  WALLACK. 

Barbara  Manly MRS.  WIN  STANLEY. 

Blossom  "     WATTS. 

For  his  benefit,  a  month  later,  Mrs.  Mowatt's 
comedy  of  "Fashion"  was  first  given  in  New  York, 
with  the  following  cast : 

Mr.  Tiffany  MR.  FREDERICKS. 

Colonel  Howard  "    KINGSLEY. 

Count  de  Jolimaitre LESTER. 

Adam  Trueman   BLAKE. 

Snobson "    HADAWAY. 

Mrs.  Tiffany   MRS.  WINSTANLEY. 

Seraphina    "     SERGEANT. 

Gertrude Miss  F.  WALLACK. 

Prudence MRS.  WATTS. 

Millinette    Miss  TELBIN. 

In  the  next  season  at  the  Broadway  he  was  still 
on  the  bills,  and  played  a  round  of  parts  in  con- 
junction with  Henry  Placide — Placide  as  Sir  Peter 
Teazle,  Doctor  Ollapod,  and  Farmer  Ashfield,  with 
Blake  as  Crabtree,  Sir  Robert  Bramble,  and  Sir 
Abel  Handy.  The  public  must  have  been  hand- 
somely regaled  by  the  performances  of  two  such 
artists.  Blake  also  figured  in  the  bill  for  the  benefit 


S&lafec  as 


of  the  American  Dramatic  Fund  Association,  given 
at  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House  on  February  8, 
1849,  appearing  as  Solus,  in  "Every  One  Has  His 
Fault,"  an  afterpiece,  says  Ireland,  never  better 
cast  in  America.  Here  is  the  cast  : 

Lord  Norland  ..................  MR.  J.  GILBERT. 

Solus    ..........................      "    BLAKE. 

Sir  R.  Ramble  .................      "    WALCOT. 

Harmony  .......................  BASS. 

Porter    .........................      "    W.  B.  CHAPMAN. 

Miss  Spinster   ..................  MRS.  VERNON. 

Mrs.  Placid   ....................  Miss  TELBIN. 

Miss  Wooburn  ----  "  .............       "      WEMYSS. 

Blake  was  still  stage  manager  at  the  Broadway 
in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1849-50,  and  appeared  as 
Lord  Priory,  in  "Wives  as  They  Were,"  Sir  Peter 
Teazle,  Dogberry,  Sir  Harcourt  Courtly,  and 
others,  among  them  Mark  Mayberry,  in  a  new  com- 
edy called  "Extremes,"  a  satirical  play  produced 
for  the  first  time.  Its  author  was  a  Mr.  Sperry  of 
Baltimore.  Since  it  was  highly  successful  and  en- 
joyed a  gratifying  run,  it  may  be  useful  to  give  the 
cast: 

Ebenezer  Oldrich  ...............  MR.  WHITING. 

Mark  Mayberry  ................  "  BLAKE. 

Edward  Brian   .................  "  G.  JORDAN. 

Augustus  Smiley  ...............  WHEATLEY. 

Middleman  Higgins   ............  "  W.  A.  CHAPMAN. 

Allgrieve  .......................  "  W.  B.  CHAPMAN. 

Patrick    .  "  SHAW. 


Gash  Gaskins  MR.  SKERRETT. 

Mrs.  Crosby Miss  A.  FISHER. 

Mrs.  Oldrich  MRS.  HIELD. 

Virginia Miss  HORN. 

Nelly MRS.  SKERRETT. 

Purposing  to  visit  New  Orleans,  Blake  withdrew 
from  the  stage  management  of  the  Broadway  in 
the  spring  of  1850.  His  retirement  was  the  occa- 
sion of  a  grand  complimentary  benefit,  given  on 
March  20,  and  the  bill  embraced  many  distin- 
guished names,  among  them  Placide,  Blake,  Bur- 
ton, Brougham,  Lester,  Jordan  and  Hamblin,  and 
Mrs.  Blake,  Mrs.  Abbott  and  Mrs.  Skerrett. 

At  this  period  Burton's  Theatre  in  Chambers 
•  Street  was  the  great  popular  resort,  and  Blake,  on 
his  return  from  the  South,  joined  the  forces  of 
that  renowned  house.  He  opened  in  the  "School 
for  Scandal,"  with  the  following  strong  associ- 
ation : 

Sir  Peter  Teazle  MR.  BLAKE. 

Sir  Oliver  Surface "    BURTON. 

Joseph  Surface "    BLAND. 

Charles  Surface  "    LESTER. 

Crabtree    "    T.  B.  JOHNSTON. 

Sir  Benjamin  Backbite   "    G.  JORDAN. 

Moses    "    SKERRETT. 

Lady  Teazle MRS.  RUSSELL 

(Afterwards  Mrs.  Hoey). 

Burton's  company  at  that  time  was  particularly 
strong,  and  a  succession  of  the  standard  comedies 


JMiiam  6ufu£  2Mafee  37 


followed  Blake's  engagement,  presented  with  a 
strength  of  distribution  never  excelled  in  this  coun- 
try, and  in  which  Blake's  great  powers  shone  re- 
splendent. Among  them  was  "The  Road  to  Ruin," 
with  the  following  surprising  cast : 

Goldfinch    MR.  BURTON. 

Old  Dornton  "    BLAKE. 

Harry  Dornton "    LESTER. 

Milford   "    G.  JORDAN. 

Silky    "    T.  B.  JOHNSTON. 

Sulky  "    BLAND. 

Smith  "    H.  HOWARD. 

Sophia   Miss  HILL. 

Widow  Warren MRS.  HUGHES. 

Jenny    "     SKERRETT. 

It  was  during  this  engagement  that  Dr.  North- 
all's  version  of  "David  Copperfield"  was  produced 
with  a  success  that  almost  rivaled  that  of  "Dom- 
bey  and  Son."  In  these  days  of  the  dramatization 
of  novels  and  histories  the  cast  of  "Copperfield" 
may  be  interesting : 

Micawber   MR.  BURTON. 

Copperfield "    G.  JORDAN. 

Steerforth "    LESTER. 

Wickfield    "    HENRY. 

Uriah  Heep  "    T.  B.  JOHNSTON. 

Traddles  "    LEVERE. 

Peggotty  "    BLAKE. 

Ham "    BLAND. 

Agnes Miss  ALDERMAN. 


3s  31  43roup  of  Comedian? 

Mrs.  Steerforth MRS.  HOLMAN. 

Betsey  Trotwood  "     HUGHES. 

Rosa  Dartle  "     RUSSELL. 

Mrs.  Micawber  "      SKERRETT. 

Mrs.  Gummidge  "     HENRY. 

Emily Miss  HILL. 

Martha "      WESTON. 

Blake's  Peggotty  was  a  touching  piece  of  acting, 
and  Burton's  Micawber  was  simply  inimitable. 

Blake  played  with  Burton  for  another  season, 
played  later  at  Niblo's,  and  then  joined  the  elder 
Wallack  at  the  theatre  formerly  known  as  Brough- 
am's Lyceum,  where,  with  the  brilliant  company 
gathered  there,  he  was  seen  in  all  his  familiar  and 
famous  parts  and  many  new  ones — among  them 
Baron  Bluff enbach,  in  Brougham's  comedy  of  "My 
Cousin  German";  Lemon  Sowerby,  in  "Sons  and 
Systems" ;  Bouret,  in  Lester's  comedy  of  "Two  to 
One ;  or,  the  King's  Visit" ;  De  Gournay,  in  a  new 
drama  from  the  French,  known  as  "Like  and  Un- 
like ;  or,  the  Sisters" ;  and  Plaskwith,  in  a  drama- 
tization of  Bulwer's  "Night  and  Morning."  He 
remained  with  Wallack  until  the  fall  of  1855,  when 
he  again  directed  the  stage  of  the  Broadway  Thea- 
tre, returning  later  to  Wallack's,  where,  for  Lester's 
benefit,  he  gave  his  admirable  performance  of  Dr. 
Primrose,  in  "The  Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  and 
Roundhead,  in  "How  to  Grow  Rich."  During  this 
engagement  Agnes  Robertson  made  her  great  suc- 
cess as  Jessie  Brown,  in  Boucicault's  drama  of 


JteiHtam  fcufttg  25Iafte  39 

the  "Relief  of  Lucknow,"  Blake  playing  David 
Blunt. 

It  is  not  needful  to  lengthen  this  record  of  the 
comedian's  performances.     At  a  later  date  he  sup- 
ported Charlotte  Cushman  at  Niblo's,  and  played    . 
engagements  at  Burton's  New  Theatre  and  at  LauraX 
Keene's  Theatre,  on  which  last  stage  he  acted  Nick^ 
Bottom,  in  an  elaborate  revival  of  "Midsummer, 
Night's  Dream";  and  he  crowned  his  career  with 
a  long  association  with  Wallack  when  that  experi- 
enced manager  moved  to  Broadway  and  Thirteenth 
Street.    There,  with  powers  unabated,  he  confirmed 
his  supremacy  in  his  chosen  line  of  representation. 

It  was  at  Laura  Keene's  Theatre,  in  1863,  that 
Blake  was  seen  as  Jesse  Rural  for  the  last  time; 
and  at  the  same  theatre,  April  16,  1863,  he  made 
his  last  appearance  in  New  York,  playing,  for  his 
benefit,  Sir  Anthony  Absolute  and  Geoffrey  Dale. 

Sixteen  days  after  this  performance  he  was  taken 
suddenly  ill  at  Boston,  and  died  on  April  22,  1863, 
having  acted  Sir  Peter  Teazle  the  night  before. 
The  news  of  his  death  came  with  startling  sudden- 
ness to  his  friends  and  admirers  in  New  York,  and 
sincere  sorrow  mingled  with  the  realization  of  the 
loss  the  stage  had  sustained.  It  was  felt  that  a 
great  actor  had  passed  away,  and  that  never  more 
would  be  viewed  those  wondrous  delineations  that 
had  so  filled  the  mind  and  compelled  admiration. 
The  funeral  services  were  held  at  the  Wainwright 
Memorial  Church  in  Hammond  Street,  where  a 


40 


multitude  gathered  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  feeling 
and  respect.  He  was  buried  in  Greenwood  Ceme- 
tery on  April  26,  1863. 

WILLIAM  RUFUS  BLAKE  has  passed  into  stage  his- 
tory as  one  of  the  great  comedians.  In  certain  of 
his  impersonations  he  was  without  a  peer,  and  in 
others,  not  so  indisputably  his  own,  he  was  not 
often  surpassed.  Mr.  Hutton  thinks  that  he  was 
probably  the  best  Sir  Peter  Teazle  we  ever  had  in 
America.  There  are  those  who  believe  that  John 
Gilbert  was  a  better  Sir  Peter.  Blake's  Sir  Har- 
court  Courtly  was  not  so  well  liked  as  the  Sir  Har- 
court  of  Henry  Placide;  perhaps  Placide  fell  be- 
low the  traditions  of  Farren.  But  it  is  idle  to 
compare  such  artists  as  these.  Each  was  great  in 
his  own  great  way.  Placide,  Blake  and  Gilbert  will 
always  stand  together,  a  mighty  trio,  and  as  often 
as  the  plays  are  produced  which  contain  their  fa- 
mous characters,  their  names  will  be  recalled  and 
the  traditions  of  their  triumphs  recited. 

IT  is  forty  years  since  I  sat  under  the  spell  of 
Blake,  yet  even  as  I  write  these  lines  the  form  and 
face  come  back  —  I  see  the  eloquent  play  of  fea-v7 
ture,  the  expressive  gesture  ;  I  hear  the  voice,  so  y 
melodious  and  full  of  feeling  ;  I  smile  at  each  ver-^/ 
bal  felicity,  and  bask  in  the  glow  of  humor  ;  the  v 
whole  man  is  before  me  in  all  his  power  and  charm, 
and  the  spell  is  again  cast  by  the  boon  of  memory. 


JOHN  BROUGHAM 


JOHN  BROUGHAM, 


1810-1880 

r  I  AHIS  comedian,  so  well  remembered  as  actor 
i  and  man,  was  born  in  Dublin,  May  9,  1810. 
He  came  of  excellent  parentage,  and  in  early  boy- 
hood gave  signs  of  artistic  feeling  and  a  fondness 
for  theatrical  representation.  He  studied  at  home 
and  at  college,  but  the  study  was  meagre;  yet  in 
some  way  knowledge  was  gained — perhaps  by  "ab- 
sorption," as  he  explained  the  matter.  He  drifted 
into  private  theatricals,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
afflicted  with  stage  fright,  a  statement  which,  re- 
calling his  easy  nonchalance  in  after  life,  we  read 
with  a  smile  of  incredulity.  Certainly  he  got 
bravely  over  it.  He  tried  surgery,  and  for  family 
reasons  gave  it  up;  then  applied  for  a  cadetship, 
from  which  he  was  dissuaded;  and  finally  (1830) 
got  a  footing  in  the  Queen's  Theatre  in  London, 
where  his  theatrical  career  may  be  said  to  have 
begun.  Later  he  became  one  of  Madame  Vestris's 
company  at  the  Olympic,  and  continued  with  her 
when  she  and  Charles  Mathews  managed  Covent 
Garden.  He  used  his  vacations  in  touring  the 
43 


44  21  4$t0ti9 


provinces,  for  the  sake  of  practice,  on  which  trips 
he  played  everything. 

He  now  began  to  employ  his  pen,  and  wrote  a 
burlesque  for  Burton,  who  was  then  acting  at  the 
Pavilion  Theatre.  This  was  his  first  attempt  at 
composition.  It  was  poor  enough,  he  says,  but 
somehow  made  a  success.  He  wrote  many  other 
things — "numberless  forgotten  nothings."  He 
tells  us  he  wrote  "London  Assurance"  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Dion  Boucicault,  "who  claimed  the  entire 
authorship,  according  to  his  usual  ungenerousness. 
Had  to  bring  an  action  against  D.  B.,  whose  legal 
adviser  suggested  payment  of  half  the  purchase 
money,  rather  than  conduct  so  damaging  a  case." 
In  1840  he  managed  the  Lyceum  Theatre,  which 
ended  in  failure,  as  did  most  of  his  managerial 
enterprises. 

Brougham  came  with  his  wife  to  New  York  in 
1842,  and  appeared  at  the  Park  Theatre  on  Octo- 
ber 4  of  that  year.  One  account  says  that  he 
opened  as  Dazzle  in  "London  Assurance,"  but  he 
says  himself  that  the  play  was  "Love's  Sacrifice," 
in  which  Mrs.  Brougham  played  Margaret  Elmore 
and  he  the  light  comedy  part.  The  accounts  agree, 
however,  that  he  appeared  as  O'Callaghan  in  "His 
Last  Legs,"  and  made  a  decided  hit.  The  engage- 
ment brought  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brougham  forward  in 
a  variety  of  parts,  and  justified  Ireland's  remark 
that  their  advent  was  "another  addition  of  great 
importance  to  the  New  York  stage."  Brougham 


Sfogn  2&rougf)am  45 


speedily  won  gratifying  popularity  by  the  versatil-  */ 
ity  of  his  performances,  and  especially  by  his  Irish* 
delineations,  which  were  thought  by  many  to  be/ 
equal  to  the  best  efforts  of  Power.  i 

The  following  is  the  cast  of  "Love's  Sacrifice" 
as  first  produced  in  America : 

Matthew  Elmore  MR.  BARRY. 

Paul  Lafont  "    ABBOTT. 

Eugene  Delorme  "    C.  W.  CLARKE. 

St.  Lo  "    BROUGHAM. 

Friar  Dominic "    BELLAMY. 

Jean  Ruse   "    FISHER. 

Du  Viray  "    S.  PEARSON. 

Morluc    "    FREELAND. 

Margaret  Elmore   MRS.  BROUGHAM. 

Flerminie  de  Vermont Miss  BULOID. 

Manon MRS.  WHEATLEY. 

Jenny "     VERNON. 

A  second  engagement  was  entered  into  with  the 
Broughams,  and  in  the  course  of  it  was  produced 
a  new  comedy  by  Boucicault  entitled  "Alma  Mater ; 
or,  Life  in  Oxford."  As  this  play  is  not  widely 
known,  I  give  the  cast,  which  was  deemed  power- 
ful at  the  time : 

Count  Pave  MR.  BROUGHAM. 

Sir  Samuel  Sarcasm "    PLACIDE. 

Gradus "    ABBOTT. 

Pliant    "    FISHER. 

Major  O' Gorman   "    A.  ANDREWS. 

Flick    .  "    W.  H.  WILLIAMS. 


46  gi  «5roup  of  Cometrtang 


Dactyl  MR.  BELLAMY. 

Wildfire    "    C.  W.  CLARKE. 

Somerset  Venture  "    LOVELL. 

Pro  Proctor "    POVEY. 

Widow  Venture MRS.  WHEATLEY. 

Lilly  Venture  "     BROUGHAM. 

j'     Surely  a  more  attractive  personality  than  that 
^presented  by  Brougham  at  this  time  can  hardly  be 

v'  imagined.    Young,  handsome,  and  vivacious,  there 

v<was  a  charm  in  his  manner  and  a  contagion  in  his 

";flow  of  spirits  that  filled  his  audience  with  delight- 
ful expectancy.     His  geniality  of  disposition  soon 

established  terms  of  kindly  consideration,  and  it 
was  seen  that  here  was  a  nature  at  once  buoyant 

•and  lovable.     The  popularity  he  then  won  con- 

Hinued  throughout  his  long  career. 

It  was  quite  natural  that  Brougham  should  suc- 
ceed in  the  Irish  drama.  He  had  a  native  relish 
for  Irish  character,  and  was  familiar  with  its  many 
phases,  and  his  mother-wit  and  captivating  readi- 
ness aided  him  greatly  in  his  portrayals.  Had  he 
given  special  attention  to  this  field,  I  see  no  reason 
•why  he  should  not  have  rivaled  Power ;  but  he  was 

sitoo  versatile  to  be  confined  to  one  line  of  parts. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  played  anything  that  had 

4he  promise  of  artistic  success  in  it,  and  soon  ac- 

4[uired  an  extensive  repertory. 

An  extended  starring  tour  followed  the  engage- 
ment at  the  Park,  during  which  Brougham  added 
to  his  fame  and  to  his  purse.  He  played  in  the 


5foljn 


West  and  Southwest,  and  there  are  favorable  no- 
tices of  his  performances  given  in  N.  M.  Ludlow's 
"Dramatic  Life  as  I  Found  It,"  a  valuable  history 
of  the  rise  of  the  drama  in  the  Mississippi  valley. 
He  was  not  so  successful,  however,  in  holding  on 
to  his  profits  as  he  might  have  been,  and  when  he 
returned  to  New  York  he  was  a  poorer,  if  a  wiser 
man.     He  secured  fresh  engagements,  and  pro-/ 
duced  at  the  Broadway  Theatre,  with  gratifyingV. 
success,  his  comedy  of  "Romance  and  Reality. V 
Shortly  after  he  joined  Burton  in  Chambers  Street v/ 
as  his  stage  manager,  and  wrote  for  that  house  a  •/ 
number  of  plays,  among  them  his  version  of  "Dom-y^" 
bey  and  Son,"  in  which  Burton  made  such  a  hit  as  i 
Captain  Cuttle.     The  drama  was  first  produced 
July  24,  1848,  with  the  following  cast : 

Dombey MR.  VARREY. 

MARSHALL. 

BROUGHAM. 

RAYMOND. 

DUNN. 

THAYER. 

Captain  Cuttle   "    BURTON. 

Jack  Bunsby  "    BROUGHAM. 

Edith  MRS.  A.  KNIGHT. 

Mrs.  Skewton  "     HUGHES. 

Florence    Miss  J.  HILL. 

Susan  Nipper  MRS.  BROUGHAM. 

Notwithstanding  the  immediate  success  of  Bur- 
ton, Brougham,  Raymond,  and  Mrs.  Hughes,  the 


Carker 

Major  Bagstock 

Toots  

Walter  Gay  .... 
Sol  Gills    ' 


48 


piece  was  withdrawn  for  improvements.  It  was 
reproduced  a  fortnight  later,  and  ran  through  the 
entire  season.  As  a  matter  of  curiosity,  I  give  the 
revised  cast: 

Dombey    .'  .........................  MR.  NICKERSON. 

Carker  ............................     "    G.  JORDAN. 

Major  Bagstock  ...................     "    BROUGHAM. 

Toots  .............................     "    RAYMOND. 

Sol  Gills  ..........................      "    MARSHALL. 

Walter  Gay  .......................      "    GRACE. 

Captain  Cuttle  ....................      "    BURTON. 

Jack  Bunsby  ......................      "    BROUGHAM. 

Brogley  ...........................      "    HAMILTON. 

The  Native  .......................      "    C.  T.  PARSLOE. 

Rob  the  Grinder  ..................      "    REA. 

Florence  ..........................  Miss  NICKINSON. 

Edith  .............................  MRS.  A.  KNIGHT. 

Mrs.  Skewton  .....................      "     VERNON. 

Susan  Nipper  .....................      "     BROUGHAM. 

Flowers  ...........................  Miss  WILLIAMS. 

The  Dombey,  the  Carker,  and  the  Florence  were 
great  improvements.  I  cannot  guess  why  Mrs. 
Vernon  was  substituted  for  Mrs.  Hughes  ;  the  lat- 
ter was  deemed  admirable.  For  the  rest,  they  were 
satisfactory.  But  the  great  Edith  and  the  great 
Susan  Nipper  were  yet  to  come  in  the  persons  of 
Mrs.  Russell  (afterwards  Mrs.  Hoey)  and  Miss 
Caroline  Chapman.  That  capital  comedian  T.  B. 
Johnston  succeeded  Raymond  as  Toots,  but  Ray- 
mond, I  believe,  never  was  equaled.  As  to  Brough- 
am's Bunsby  and  Bagstock,  he  invested  the  oracu- 


Sloljtt  25rousfiam  49 


lar  utterances  of  the  tar  and  the  roughness  and 
toughness  and  devilish  slyness  of  the  Major  with 
a  humor  and  spirit  all  his  own. 

In  this  same  year,  on  November  13,  Charles 
Walcot's  drama  of  "Edith;  or,  Dealings  with  the 
Firm  of  Dombey  and  Son"  was  produced  at  the 
Park,  then  managed  by  Mr.  Hamblin.  The  play 
was  elaborately  staged,  and  presented  with  a  cast 
so  extraordinary  that  I  give  it  for  the  sake  of  pre- 
serving the  record : 

Captain  Cuttle MR.  PLACIDE. 

Mr.  Dombey "    J.  GILBERT. 

Mr.  Carker "    C.  W.  CLARKE. 

Major  Bagstock "    G.  BARRETT. 

Mr.  Toots "    WALCOT. 

Walter  Gay  MOORHOUSE. 

Mr.  Chick "    HENRY  HUNT. 

Jack  Bunsby "    JAMES  SCOTT. 

Rob  the  Grinder "    W.  B.  CHAPMAN. 

Edith   MRS.  SHAW. 

Mrs.  Skewton  "     J.  GILBERT. 

Florence    "     WALCOT. 

Mrs.  Chick  "     WINSTANLEY. 

Miss  Tox  "     DYOTT. 

Susan  Nipper Miss  TAYLOR. 

Mrs.  Pipchin  "      GORDON. 

Mrs.  Brown MRS.  KNIGHT. 

Mrs.  McStinger  MR.  H.  HUNT  ! ! 

Notwithstanding  this  array  of  talent,  its  run  was 
but  brief.     The  public  interest  felt  in  Brougham's'/ 
story  as  acted  at  Burton's  was  not  lessened.     Even  , 
7 


5°  3d  45roup  of  ComcDtana 

Placide  and  Walcot  were  not  to  be  compared  with 

Burton  and  Raymond.     Mr.  Gilbert  was  fine  in 

Dombey,  and  Mary  Taylor  as  Susan  Nipper  was 

surpassed  only  by  Miss  Chapman.    It  was  said  that 

Mrs.  Shaw,  as  Edith,  in  acting  and  in  appearance, 

should  alone  have  carried  the  drama  to  victory. 

, .  But,  on  the  whole,  the  Chambers  Street  production 

I  was  the  popular  success. 

Brougham  remained  two  seasons  with  Burton, 
during  which  time  he  was  frequently  on  the  bills 
,in  old  and  new  characters,  and  many  of  his  own 
^pieces  were  performed,  among  them  another  chap- 
ter from  "Dombey  and  Son"  entitled  "The  Capture 
*  of  Captain  Cuttle,"  and  a  drama  from  Thackeray's 
"Vanity  Fair,"  cast  as  follows : 

Sir  Pitt  Crawley  MR.  T.  JOHNSTON. 

Mr.  Pitt  Crawley 


Rawdon  Crawley 

Joe  Sedley  

Lord  Steyn , 

Mr.  Sedley  

Major  Dobbin  . . . 
Major  O'Dowd  . . 


MORTIMER. 

BROUGHAM. 

BURTON. 

MEARS. 

HAMILTON. 

CHRISTIAN. 

REA. 

Miss  Crawley   MRS.  VERNON. 

Mrs.  O'Dowd "     BROUGHAM. 

Amelia  Sedley "     A.  KNIGHT. 

Rebecca  Sharp   Miss  CHAPMAN. 


Burton  was  prevented  by  an  accident  from  ap- 
pearing, which  was  a  great  disappointment.  Miss 
Chapman  carried  off  the  honors  of  the  play.  On 


51 


December  3,  1849,  Morris  Harriet's  comedy  of  "The 
Serious  Family"  was  produced  for  the  first  time    , 
in  America.     As   Captain  Maguire   was   one   ol/ 
Brougham's  most  admired  performances,  I  give/ 
the  original  cast : 

Aminidab  Sleek  MR.  BURTON. 

Charles  Torrens "    C.  W.  CLARKE. 

Captain  Maguire  "     BROUGHAM. 

Frank  Vincent   "    LEACH. 

Lady  Sowerby  Creamly MRS.  HUGHES. 

Mrs.  Charles  Torrens "     J.  RUSSELL. 

Mrs.  Delmaine  Miss  C.  CHAPMAN. 

Emma  Torrens "      HILL. 

Somebody  has  said  of  Brougham  in  this  partv 
that  it  fitted  him  like  his  skin.     All  his  engaging, 
qualities  were  exhibited  in  the  portrayal,  and  hisv 
dash  and  elegance,  coupled  with  an  audacious  hu-v  ,- 
mor  and  unflagging  spirit,  delighted  his  audience 
beyond  measure.     The  colloquies  between  Sleek 
and  Maguire  were  an  entertainment  in  themselves. 
It  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  refer  to  Brougham's 
extemporaneous  fluency,  which  he  tells  us  was  de-    / 
veloped  during  the  run  of  this  piece.    He  was  al- 
ways called  out  for  a  speech  at  the  end,  and  always 
answered  the  call  and  delivered  himself  felicitously. 
On  one  occasion  Burton  came  on  and  interrupted 
the  speech,  and  a  war  of  words  followed.     After 
that  the  audience  demanded  the  interruption  every 
evening. 


It  was  really  a  great  treat  to  see  Burton  and 
Brougham  together.  The  two  actors  were  so 
ready,  so  full  of  wit,  so  alive  to  each  other's  points 
and  byplay,  that  any  fanciful  interpolation  in  the 
text  or  humorous  impromptu  by  the  one  was  in- 
:  stantly  responded  to  by  the  other,  and  the  house 
was  often  thrown  into  convulsions  of  merriment 
by  these  purely  unpremeditated  sallies.  This  was 
notably  the  case  in  the  afterpiece  of  "An  Unwar- 
rantable Intrusion" — committed  by  Mr.  Brougham 
upon  Mr.  Burton — when  in  the  tag  the  comedians 
suddenly  assumed  their  own  persons,  and,  address- 
ing each  other  by  their  proper  names,  engaged  in 
a  droll  colloquy  respecting  the  dilemma  of  having 
nothing  to  say  to  conclude  the  piece ;  and  each  sug- 
gesting in  turn  something  that  ought  to  or  might 
be  said  to  an  audience  under  such  peculiar  and  dis- 
tressing circumstances,  the  audience  meanwhile  in 
a  state  of  hilarious  excitement,  drinking  in  every 
sparkling  jest  and  repartee,  and  wishing  the  flow 
of  humor  would  last  forever. 

\j  Brougham  undertook  the  management  of  Niblo's 
,j  Garden  after  leaving  Burton,  and  produced  there 
several  of  his  plays.  His  next  venture  was 
Brougham's  Lyceum,  which  he  opened  in  Decem- 
ber, 1850.  He  actively  employed  his  powers  here 
as  actor  and  author,  producing  among  other  things 
a  dramatization  of  Dickens's  "David  Copperfield," 
in  which  he  was  admirable  as  Micawber.  He  also 
adapted  "The  Actress  of  Padua"  for  Charlotte 


3[oi)n  SSrougljam  S3 


Cushman.  The  business  was  prospering  when 
some  question  arose  respecting  the  safety  of  the 
building,  and  in  the  end  he  became  the  victim  of 
sharp  dealing,  was  forced  to  give  up  the  thea- 
tre with  a  heavy  debt  to  bear,  which  it  cost  him 
years  of  labor  to  discharge.  He  then  went  to  the 
Bowery,  and  produced  "King  John"  on  a  scale  of 
splendor  never  before  attempted  in  New  York,  but 
it  resulted  in  financial  failure.  To  recoup  himself, 
he  energetically  set  to  work  and  wrote  and  put  on 
the  stage  drama  after  drama  of  a  sensational  cast, 
such  as  "The  Pirates  of  the  Mississippi,"  "The 
Gunmaker  of  Moscow,"  "Tom  and  Jerry  in  New 
York,"  and  others,  all  meritorious  pieces,  but  the 
pecuniary  success  was  not  great.  Relinquishing 
the  reins  of  management,  he  joined  the  company  of 
the  elder  Wallack,  who  had  installed  himself  in  the 
late  Brougham's  Lyceum  at  Broadway  and  Broome 
Street.  This  was  a  wise  move,  for  his  associa- 
tions were  agreeable  in  every  way;  he  was  well 
paid,  and  his  talents  fully  appreciated.  His  name 
was  conspicuous  on  the  bills,  and  he  appeared  in 
most  of  his  favorite  parts,  to  the  delight  of  the 
Wallack  audiences.  Many  of  his  best  plays  were 
produced  during  this  engagement — "The  Game  of, 
Love,"  "The  Game  of  Life,"  "Bleak  House,"  "A 
Decided  Case,"  "The  Ruling  Passion,"  "Playing 
with  Fire,"  and  his  surprising  burlesque  "Poca- 
hontas." 

This  extravaganza,  first  acted  at  Wallack's,  took 


54  3d  43roup  of  4Tomcbtan0 

the  town  by  storm,  and  its  bons-mots,  local  hits, 
and  trenchant  witticisms  were  on  the  lips  of  every- 
body. In  structure,  idea,  and  treatment  of  theme 
it  was  a  triumph  of  wholesome  mirth,  and  a  strik- 
ing exhibition  of  the  author's  witty  invention.  To 
this  day  old  playgoers  revel  in  their  recollec- 
tions of  Brougham  and  Walcot  in  their  respective 
parts.  Even  now,  the  present  writer  seems  to  hear 
once  again  the  tuneful  voice  of  Brougham  in  his 
capital  smoking-song  set  to  the  air  of  " Widow 
Machree" : 

"Oh,  wid  a  dhudieen  I  can  blow  away  care, 

Oh  hone,  wid  a  dhudieen! 

Black  thoughts  and  blue  devils  all  melt  into  air, 
Oh  hone !  wid  a  dhudieen ! 

If  you  're  short  any  day, 

Or  a  note  have  to  pay, 

And  you  don't  know  the  way, 

To  come  out  of  it  clean ; 

From  your  head  and  your  heart 

You  can  make  it  depart, 
Oh  hone !  wid  a  dhudieen  !" 


The  printed  text  of  "Pocahontas"  is  rather  a  lit- 
erary curiosity.  The  word-plays  are  innumerable, 
and  every  point  is  so  indicated  that  the  page  is 
fairly  peppered  with  italics.  And  there  are  some 
very  excellent  puns.  For  instance,  Smith's  life  is 
in  danger,  and  he  asks  permission  to  say  a  few  last 
words,  to  which  request  Powhatan  replies  : 


ss 


"We  're  tied  to  time,  and  time  and  tide  won't  wait, 
You  must  die  early  so  you  can't  dilate!" 

Combinations  as  happy  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
throughout  the  play. 

After  several  seasons  with  Wallack,  he  was  seen 
at  Burton's  New  Theatre,  where  he  remained  until 
he  sailed  for  Europe  in  1860.  While  with  Burton 
he  produced  several  plays,  among  them  his  bur- 
lesque of  "Columbus,"  a  companion  picture  to  "Po- 
cahontas,"  and  the  amusing  piece  "This  House  to 
be  Sold."  He  remained  five  years  abroad,  acting  at 
various  theatres  and  adapting  and  constructing 
plays  for  artists  in  his  profession.  Returning  to 
America  in  1865,  he  opened  in  a  three  months'  en- 
gagement at  the  Winter  Garden  Theatre,  acting  a 
round  of  his  well-known  and  favorite  parts.  Later 
he  appeared  at  the  Olympic  and  Wallack's,  and 
produced  at  the  last-named  theatre  his  own  drama 
of  "The  Lottery  of  Life,"  which  had  a  gratifying 
run  of  nine  weeks.  In  1869  he  opened  Brougham's 
Theatre,  which  was  his  last  essay  at  management, 
for  through  the  owner's  treatment  of  him  he  was 
obliged  to  close  it  after  a  season  of  ten  weeks. 
During  that  time,  however,  he  gave  to  the  public 
his  capital  burlesque  of  "Much  Ado  About  a  Mer- 
chant of  Venice,"  one  of  the  best  of  his  efforts  in 
that  line  of  composition. 

He  acted  the  burlesque  Shylock  on  the  last  night 
at  this  theatre,  and  made  a  touching  and  witty 


31  <*Sroup 


farewell  speech  at  the  close.  A  banquet  in  his 
honor  was  given  at  the  Astor  House  on  the  night 
following  the  closing  of  his  theatre,  at  which  Mr. 
Charles  Stetson  presided,  and  many  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  spoke  in  his  praise,  and  at 
which  was  laid  the  foundation  of  a  benefit  for  him, 
which  occurred  on  May  9  following.  There  were 
two  performances  given,  one  at  Niblo's  Theatre  in 
the  afternoon,  and  one  in  the  evening  at  the  theatre 
since  known  as  Haverly's.  The  afternoon  per- 
formance was  "The  School  for  Scandal,"  and  very 
strikingly  cast  : 

Sir  Peter  Teazle  ............  MR.  JOHN  GILBERT. 

Sir  Oliver  Surface  ..........      "    JOHN  BROUGHAM. 

Joseph  Surface  .............     "    NEIL  WARNER. 

Charles  Surface  ............      "    EDWIN  ADAMS. 

Crabtree    ...................  "    A.  W.  YOUNG. 

Sir  Benjamin  Backbite  ......      "    OWEN  MARLOWE. 

Rowley    ....................  "    T.  J.  HIND. 

Moses    .....................  "    HARRY  BECKET. 

Trip   .......................  "    J.  C.  WILLIAMSON. 

Snake    .....................  "    FRANK  RAE. 

Careless    ...................  "    J.  W.  COLLIER. 

Sir  Harry  Bumper  ..........  "    R.  GREEN. 

Lady  Teazle   ...............  MRS.  D.  P.  BOWERS. 

Maria  ......................  Miss  PAULINE  MARKHAM. 

Lady  Sneerwell  ............  MRS.  JOHN  SEFTON. 

Mrs.  Candour  ..............  Miss  FANNY  MORANT. 

During  his  later  years  he  played  at  Wallack's 
and  Daly's,  and  made  a  few  professional  tours,  but 
ill  health  began  to  tell  upon  him,  and  he  grew 


57 


weary  of  his  professional  labors.  Happily,  a  series 
of  performances  for  his  benefit  secured  him  an  an- 
nuity which  eased  the  burden  of  his  declining  days. 
His  last  appearance  on  the  stage  was  at  Booth's 
Theatre,  October  25,  1879,  when  he  acted  Felix 
O'Reilley  in  Boucicault's  play  of  "Rescued."  He 
died  June  7,  1880. 

Brougham  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Miss  Emma  Williams,  a  woman  of  great 
beauty,  whom  he  married  in  1838.  She  died  in 
1865.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Annette  Nelson, 
whom  he  married  in  1847.  She  died  in  1870. 
They  were  both  actresses. 

JOHN  BROUGHAM  was  admired  as  a  comedian  and 
loved  as  a  man.     His  traits  of  character  were  such 
as  to  win  and  hold  many  friends.     He  was  gentle,v 
considerate  and  generous.      He  was  buoyant   in 
nature,  genial  in  disposition,  and  possessed  those 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  that  create  and  endear 
companionship.      Many  affectionate  friends  have 
left  on  record  their  estimate  of  his   intellectual 
powers,  his  manliness  and  his  worth.     His  mem-  v 
ory  is  fragrant  with  noble  and  loving  deeds. 

As  a  comedian,  for  nearly  forty  years  he  was  in  \ 
the  public  eye,  and  contributed  to  the  amusement  v 
and  instruction  of  thousands.     He  was  a  most  in- 
dustrious man,  as  his  long  list  of  writings  suffi- 
ciently attests.    Over  seventy-five  plays  of  one  kind 
or  another  were  the  product  of  his  intellectual  en- 
8 


,ergy>  and  many  of  his  dramas  hold  the  stage  to- 
y.day.  His  versatility  was  remarkable,  as  well  in 
-v/ his  compositions  as  in  his  acting.  As  a  writer  of 
burlesque,  he  was  unmatched  in  his  generation, 
and  no  successor  has  thus  far  appeared.  When  I 
first  saw  him  at  Burton's  Theatre  in  the  early  fif- 
ties he  had  entered  on  his  career  of  popularity,  and 
was  acting  Bagstock  and  Bunsby  in  his  own  "Dom- 
bey  and  Son,"  and  Captain  Maguire  in  "The  Se- 
rious Family."  He  won  my  admiration  and  affec- 
tion from  the  start,  and  Brougham  has  remained  a 
favorite  figure  in  my  recollections  of  the  stage. 
Not  long  after  his  death,  in  a  slight  sketch  I  said 

§r  him:  "His  inexhaustible  flow  of  spirits,  in  his 
t  days,  pervaded  all  his  acting  and  invested  the 
st  unattractive  part  with  an  alluring  charm,  as 
ny  a  prosaic  spot  in  nature  becomes  enchanted 
land  by  the  music  of  falling  waters.    Add  to  this 
exuberant  vitality  a  rich  endowment  of  mother- 
wit,  a  bright  intelligence,  keen  sympathy  and  ap- 
preciation, and  rare  personal  magnetism,  and  you 
have  before  you  'glorious  John,'  whose  hearty  voice 
/it  was  always  a  pleasure  to  hear,  and  whose  face, 
I/beaming  with  humor,  was  always  welcomed  with 
,  /  delight."     I  could  not  better  these  words  now. 

On  the  day  of  his  funeral  the  following  verses 
were  published  in  the  New  York  "Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser." They  were  written  by  Henry  Morford,  a 
poet  and  journalist  of  New  York, and  are  so  feeling 
and  sincere  a  tribute  that  I  give  place  to  them  here. 


59 


GOOD  JOHN  BROUGHAM 

By  HENRY  MORFORD 

Calmly  and  peacefully  went  away 

One  of  earth's  good  fellows,  two  days  ago ; 
A  man  who  was  moulded  of  finest  clay — 

While  so  many  are  red-brick  mud — or  dough! 
A  man  with  a  red-blood-throbbing  heart, 

Who  felt  for  his  brothers  in  joy  or  pain, 
And  who  knew  no  nobler  office  for  art, 

Than  calming  a  pulse  or  soothing  a  brain. 

Good!  good  John  Brougham!    Let  the  record  stand, 

Though  many  a  stain  from  his  earthly  kin 
May  have  marred  his  life  or  soiled  his  hand — 

Though  he  knew  the  strength  of  human  sin! 
What  was  it  the  Master  said?    "To  her 

Be  much  forgiven,  for  her  loving  much!" 
Who  knows  but  for  him  that  thought  will  stir, 

And  the  same  warm  heart  win  the  healing  touch? 

No  man  cried  "Help !"  and  he  passed  by, 

No  man  plead  "Give !"  without  response, — 
Ay,  even  when,  judged  with  impartial  eye, 

His  own  were  often  the  keener  wants. 
No  land,  or  people,  beyond  his  ken 

Lay  pleading  for  that  which  his  hand  withheld : 
He  was  facile  princeps  of  great-souled  men; 

Ah,  when  has  a  sadder  death  been  knelled? 

Within  his  coffin — such  scanty  space! — 
What  characters  crowd,  to  share  his  rest! 

We  have  looked  our  last  on  many  a  face 
That  the  poet-actor's  being  expressed ! 


6o  31  4&roup  of  Comctrtang 


Shall  we  name  them  ?     No !  on  the  mimic  stage 
They  will  move  no  more,  since  he  is  gone; 

And  the  pathos  and  mirth  of  many  a  page 
With  the  same  sad  touch  must  be  withdrawn. 

And  yet,  why  mourn  him?    His  life  has  been 

Full  lived,  to  beyond  the  seventy  years. 
It  is  time  to  change  the  worn  earthly  scene 

To  another,  and  brighter,  in  other  spheres. 
So  we  lay  him  down,  in  the  peace  of  heaven, 

With  a  fervent  prayer  for  the  soul  new  born- 
Yet  a  prayer  no  warmer  than  he  has  given 

To  all  mankind,  from  his  natal  morn. 


GEORGE  HOLLAND 


GEORGE  HOLLAND. 


George 

1791-1870 

GEORGE  HOLLAND,  well  remembered  as  a 
comedian  of  peculiar  and  irrepressible  droll- 
ery, was  born  in  England,  December  6,  1791.  Few 
actors  in  our  annals  have  enjoyed  so  long  a  career 
of  popularity  as  was  permitted  to  this  worthy  man. 
His  first  appearance  on  our  stage  was  in  1827,  and 
he  said  farewell  in  1870.  Previous  to  coming  here 
he  had  had  some  experience  in  England.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  had  tried  to  get  a  business  opening 
in  sundry  towns,  but  failed  in  various  ventures; 
and  having  some  acquaintance  with  members  of 
the  theatrical  profession  who  admired  his  comic 
abilities,  he  was  induced  to  enter  upon  an  actor's 
career,  and  made  his  first  essay  at  Elliston's  Thea- 
tre in  Birmingham,  and  subsequently  under  De 
Camp  in  Newcastle.  This  theatre  opened  with 
"The  School  for  Scandal"  on  December  28,  1818, 
and  Holland  was  cast  for  Moses.  He  was  then 
twenty-seven  years  old.  The  whole  cast  seems  in- 
teresting enough  to  preserve  here : 
63 


64  31 45rou£  of  Comebiang 


Sir  Peter  Teazle  MR.  GRANT. 

Oliver  Surface "    JEFFERSON. 

Crabtree  "    GEORGE  BUTLER. 

Joseph  Surface   '    "    TYRONE  POWER. 

Charles  Surface "    DE  CAMP. 

Careless  "    HUNTLEY. 

Moses  "    GEORGE  HOLLAND. 

Trip  "    CHARLES  HILL. 

Lady  Teazle  Miss  BARRY. 

Lady  Sneerwell  "      FORBES. 

Maria    "      POVEY. 

Mrs.  Candour MRS.  HENRY. 

Many  of  these  names  will  sound  familiar  to  read- 
ers of  stage  history.  It  may  be  mentioned  that 
Holland  and  Power  became  fast  friends,  and  a 
score  of  years  afterwards  at  New  Orleans,  when 
Holland  was  treasurer  of  the  St.  Charles  Theatre 
and  Power  the  star  of  the  season,  they  discussed  a 
London  engagement  for  Holland,  which  never  was 
carried  out,  owing  to  poor  Power's  death. 

Holland  made  his  first  bow  on  the  American 
stage  at  the  Bowery  Theatre,  September  12,  1827, 
appearing  as  Jerry  in  the  burletta  "A  Day  After 
the  Fair/'  a  piece  with  which  his  name  became 
4  identified,  and  in  which  he  assumed  half  a  dozen 
different  characters  with  great  skill  and  success. 
\/He  was  a  master  of  grimace,  and  indulged  himself 
v  freely  in  its  exhibition.     He  was  also  an  amusing 
v  comic  singer,  and  had  a  trick  of  ventriloquism 
1  which  lent  diverting  variety  to  his  songs  and  imi- 
tations.    It  was  clear  that  here  was  a  fun-maker. 


65 


His  next  character  was  Thomas  in  the  play  of  "The 
Secret,"  a  part  in  which  he  is  said  never  to  have 
been  equaled ;  and  thereafter  he  was  seen  in  a  round 
of  characteristic  parts,  playing  for  his  own  benefit 
the  Gravedigger  and  Ophelia,  in  the  famous  trav- 
esty of  "Hamlet."    A  later  season  saw  him  at  the 
Sans  Souci  Theatre,  and  at  the  close  of  the  engage-\/ 
ment  he  introduced,  for  his  benefit,  his  celebrated, 
entertainment  called  the  "Whims  of  a  Comedian," 
personating  nine  characters. 

After  a  few  seasons,  Holland  went  south  on  a 
professional  tour,  and  I  find  that  early  in  1829  he 
was  billed  for  a  special  engagement  at  the  theatre 
in  Camp  Street,  New  Orleans,  to  play  in  two  pieces 
in  conjunction  with  Mrs.  Knight.  The  plays  were 
"Guy  Mannering"  and  the  farce  of  "Turn  Out," 
Holland  appearing  as  Dominie  Sampson  and  Greg- 
ory, and  Mrs.  Knight  as  Julia  Mannering  and 
Marian  Ramsay.  Both  sang  songs  in  the  farce. 
The  comedian,  by  the  way,  almost  invariably  inV 
troduced  a  song  into  his  farces.  His  next  engage-v 
ment  was  in  Louisville,  where  he  opened  in  "A  Day 
After  the  Fair,"  and  for  two  weeks  played  a  round 
of  his  peculiar  pieces.  It  was  at  Louisville  that 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of  N.  M.  Ludlow,  the 
author  of  "Dramatic  Life  as  I  Found  It,"  and  the 
relation  grew  into  a  warm  friendship.  Indeed, 
after  his  engagement,  which  was  extended,  Hol- 
land and  his  wife  made  their  home  for  some  time 
with  Ludlow  and  family. 
9 


31  «Broup  of  Comebiang 


Ludlow  has  much  to  say  of  Holland's  entertain- 
ing qualities,  his  comic  resources,  and  his  capital 
good  humor.     They  made  pleasure  excursions  to- 
gether, and  Holland  was  always  the  soul  of  the 
party.     It  is  the  opinion  of  Ludlow  that  had  Hol- 
land begun  in  the  right  way  and  studied  in  the 
right  school  he  would  have  achieved  great  distinc- 
tion as  a  low  comedian.     Ludlow  meant,  I  think, 
\ythat  Holland  often  lost  sight  of  the  artist  in  being 
^the  funny  man,  and  for  the  sake  of  being  funny 
,,/ would  be  needlessly  comic.     Your  low  comedian 
will  be  extravagant  at  times,  and  the  judicious  will 
.grieve  in  consequence,  and  perhaps  Holland  sinned 
in  that  particular ;  but  in  the  same  breath  with  his 
opinion  Ludlow  says :  "As  an  actor  he  was  very 
animated  and  rapid,  keeping  his  audience  in  con- 
.  stant  good  humor  the  entire  time  of  his  being  on 
\  the  stage."     Much  will  be  forgiven  the  comedian 
TJwho  does  that. 

Holland  became  a  great  favorite  in  the  South 
during  his  stay,  and  his  name  is  found  on  the  bills 
of  the  period.  He  was  in  the  cast  of  "The  School 
for  Scandal"  at  the  St.  Charles  during  Ellen  Tree's 
engagement,  and  in  that  of  "Much  Ado  About 
Nothing"  during  Mr.  Caldwell's  farewell  perform- 
ances. He  also  officiated  as  treasurer  of  the  St. 
Charles,  occasionally  appearing  on  the  stage.  It 
was  at  New  Orleans  that  he  and  Ludlow  again 
met,  and  their  earlier  friendship  was  revived.  The 
St.  Charles  Theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1843, 


and  Holland  returned  to  New  York,  and  in  the 
same  year  became  a  member  of  Mitchell's  Olympic 
Theatre. 

For  six  years  Holland  tickled  the  Olympic  au- 
diences with  his 

"Quips  and  cranks  and  wanton  wiles, 
Nods  and  becks  and  wreathed  smiles," — 


appearing  in  all  those  light  and  mirthful  pieces 
with  which  Mitchell  was  wont  to  regale  his  patrons 
— such  pieces  as  "Who  's  the  Composer?"  "Lend 
Me  Five  Shillings,"  "Devil  in  Paris,"  "Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Caudle,"  "Corporal's  Wedding,"  "Savage  and 
the  Maiden,"  "A  Wife  for  an  Hour,"  "Out  on  the 
Sly,"  "Seeing  Holland,"  "Robinson  Crusoe  the 
Second,"  "Beulah  Spa,"  "Light  Troop  of  St. 
James,"  "Kissing  Goes  by  Favor,"  "The  Jacobite," 
"How  to  Settle  Accounts"— with  Holland  as  Cafa- 
rini,  Golightly,  Crequet,  Mrs.  Caudle  (Mitchell 
played  Mr.  Caudle},  Corporal  Cobb,  Folair,  Joskyn 
Gaiter,  Pimlico  Pippins,  John  Downey,  Mar  ma- 
duke  Snodgrass,  Hector  Templeton,  Smallbones, 
Grillon,  John  Duck,  Whittington  Widgetts. 

These  laughable  plays  are  rarely  seen  nowadays, 
with  the  exception  of  "Lend  Me  Five  Shillings," 
which  has  a  place  in  Mr.  Jefferson's  repertory ;  but 
we  may  be  very  certain  that  Holland  made  the 
most  of  them.  The  farce  was  popular  then,  and-, 
four  pieces  were  often  on  the  bill  of  an  evening. 


68  51 


It  was  at  this  time  that  Mary  Taylor  was  winning 
all  hearts  with  her  delightful  personality,  and  in 
the  summer  of  1844,  when  the  company  migrated 
to  Niblo's,  Mitchell  produced  "The  Child  of  the 
Regiment,"  with  Miss  Taylor  as  Marie,  one  of  her 
first  original  characters,  and  in  which  she  achieved 
a  great  triumph,  her  youth  and  vocalization  mak- 
ing a  real  sensation.  Holland  also  appeared  in  the 
cast,  playing  Lobwitz.  It  may  be  mentioned  that 
Holland,  during  this  period,  was  occasionally  seen 
on  other  boards  than  the  Olympic  stage,  and  in 
1848  he  was  the  dramatic  director  of  Castle  Gar- 
den. His  popularity  constantly  grew,  so  that  when 
'he  again  went  south  in  1849  ms  fame  as  a  mirth- 
*  compelling  comedian  had  preceded  him,  and  his  en- 
gagement at  the  New  Orleans  Varieties  Theatre 
'was  a  succession  of  triumphs. 

/  *    On  his  return  to  New  York  he  acted  at  Burton's 
Theatre  for  a  short  season,  and  then  enlisted  under 
J  the  elder  Wallack's  banner,  which  waved  from  the 
'  theatre  in  Broadway  near  Broome  Street,  formerly 
i  Brougham's  Lyceum,  and  he  continued  after  the 
removal  to  Broadway  and  Thirteenth  Street,  and 
with  a  single  exception — when  he  joined  Wood's 
.Minstrels  during  a  season  of  panic — remained  con- 
nected with  the  company  down  to  the  close  of  the 
season  of  1867-68.    Wallack  had  a  strong  friend- 
ship for  Holland,  and  welcomed  him  to  his  ranks 
in  his  third   season,   the   comedian   appearing  as 
Chubb  in  "The  Game  of  Love,"  and  thereafter  was 


George  Jpoflanb  69 


frequently  on  the  bills  in  his  characteristic  parts. 
When  Lester  Wallack  assumed  control  after  his 
father's  death,  and  appeared  after  a  long  absence 
from  the  stage  as  Young  Mar  low  in  "She  Stoops 
to  Conquer,"  Holland  played  Tony  Lumpkin  with 
such  uncommon  spirit  that  Mr.  John  Gilbert,  the 
stage  manager,  remarked  that  dramatic  biography 
furnished  no  similar  instance  of  a  performer  play- 
ing the  character  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
five. 

Holland  brought  to  Wallack's  a  wide  and  varie4 
experience.     He  had  played  in  every  city  of  con^., 
sequence  in  the  Union,  was  well  known  and  es- 
teemed in  the  profession,  had  achieved  popularity 
wherever  he  appeared,  and  was  admitted  to  be  outy/ 
of  the  reach  of  rivalry  in  his  peculiar  line.     That   / 
peculiar  line  soon  became  known  at  Wallack's,  and 
many  an  old  playgoer  can  still  remember  Holland's  *y 
diverting  drollery.     Sometimes  he  played  a  part 
with  such  surprisingly  comic  effect  that  it  seemed  Y 
like  a  new  creation,  as  in  the  case  of  Buriberry 
Kobb,  in  Lester  Wallack's  "Rosedale,"  where  in 
the  quadrille  he  convulsed  the  house  by  his  ludi- 
crous effort  to  dance  the  figures  in  accordance  with  ^J 
the  little  manual  he  carried.     I  can  see  his  stolen 
glances  and  his  marvelous  movements  now ! 

During  the  season  of  1869-70  Holland  was  with- 
out any  engagement.  He  was  seventy-eight  years 
old,  and  time  was  telling  on  him.  In  fact,  he  had 
grown  so  feeble  that  he  rarely  appeared,  yet  he 


31  4Sroup 


was  so  endeared  to  the  public  that  his  mere  pres- 
ence evoked  the  old  applause.  He  roused  himself, 
however,  to  meet  an  engagement  which  had  been 
kindly  tendered  him  by  Mr.  Augustin  Daly,  and  at 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  he  appeared  in  a  number 
of  parts,  his  last  character  being  the  Reporter,  in 
Miss  Logan's  comedy  of  "Surf."  His  last  appear- 
ance on  the  stage  was  at  his  own  benefit,  given  by 
Mr.  Daly  at  his  theatre,  May  15,  1870.  The  ac- 
count of  this  event  I  copy  from  the  Memoir  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  T.  H.  Morrell. 

HOLLAND'S  LAST  APPEARANCE 

The  last  appearance  and  benefit  of  Mr.  Holland  took 
place  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  on  the  night  of  the 
1  5th  of  May,  1870.  The  performance  of  the  evening  was 
"Frou-Frou,"  and  it  had  been  arranged  with  the  manager 
that  in  consequence  of  the  feebleness  of  Mr.  Holland's 
health  he  should  only  appear  before  the  audience  for  a 
few  moments  between  the  first  and  second  acts.  When 
the  time  had  arrived  and  the  curtain  was  raised,  Mr. 
Holland  appeared,  led  forward  by  Mr.  Daly  and  Mr. 
Harkins,  in  the  midst  of  most  enthusiastic  plaudits.  The 
old  veteran  then  took  his  seat  in  an  arm-chair,  and  the 
whole  company  gathered  round  him  on  the  stage,  form- 
ing a  very  striking  tableau.  Mr.  Daly  then  stepped  for- 
ward to  the  footlights  and  delivered  for  him  the  fol- 
lowing address,  in  a  graceful  and  effective  manner: 

"LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN:  It  was  Mr.  Holland's  inten- 
tion to  say  a  few  words  in  his  own  behalf  this  evening, 
but  at  the  last  moment  the  rare  old  comedian,  who  has 
represented  so  many  characters  in  his  time,  finds  it  im- 


George  StoHanb  71 


possible  to  represent  himself,  and  he  has  asked  me  to 
read  to  you  these  words  which  he  had  hoped  to  deliver 
for  himself: 

"'LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN:  [Please  now  to  consider, 
said  the  speaker,  that  the  veteran  is  speaking  to  you, 
through  his  young  manager,  proud  also  to  be  his  friend.] 
Of  the  various  characters  in  which  I  have  for  the  last 
forty  years  appeared,  the  present  is  the  most  arduous — 
since  I  feel  how  utterly  inadequate  any  words  of  mine 
are  to  express  my  feelings  of  pride  and  gratitude.  I  have 
not  often  in  my  long  career  been  troubled  with  what  is 
called  "stage-fright,"  but  I  see  so  many  kind  faces  turned 
toward  me,  I  feel  that  my  own  worth  is  so  small  and 
your  favor  is  so  great,  and  my  heart  is  so  full  of  emotion, 
that  the  words  which  are  needed  for  expression  fail  me. 
I  am,  for  the  time  being,  no  longer  a  low  comedian,  but  a 
heavy,  blubbering  father.  Instead  of  quips  and  cranks, 
I  feel  myself  better  fitted  for  weeping — at  the  thought 
that  the  proud  privilege  of  appearing  in  the  character  of 
a  recipient  of  your  favor  may  not  be  accorded  much 
oftener.  There  is  no  stage  delusion  in  my  words  when 
I  say  that  I  thank  you  with  my  whole  heart  for  past  and 
present  kindness,  nor  when  I  assure  you  that  while 
memory  lasts  the  recollection  of  this  night's  honor  will 
endure.  Again  and  again,  I  thank  you.' " 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address  Mr.  Harkins,  on  be- 
half of  several  friends,  presented  the  old  actor  with  a 
basket  of  flowers,  the  leaves  surrounding  it  formed  of 
greenbacks.  Mr.  Holland  was  again  called  out,  and,  in 
response  to  the  hearty  greetings,  simply  and  feelingly 
said,  "God  bless  you." 

Mr.  Daly  was  all  kindness  to  the  old  comedian. 
Although  it  was  evident  that  Mr.  Holland  would 
never  again  appear  before  the  footlights,  he  was 


7  2  51  <tSroup  of  Comebiang 

retained  at  the  same  salary.  But  a  darker  curtain 
than  any  within  the  walls  of  a  theatre  was  descend- 
ing. Some  abatement  of  his  bodily  afflictions  was 
granted  him  at  last,  and  on  the  2oth  of  December, 
1870,  he  died  in  his  sleep.  He  was  seventy-nine 
years  and  fourteen  days  old.  A  host  of  friends 
and  members  of  the  profession  attended  his  funeral 
three  days  afterwards  at  the  Church  of  the  Trans- 
figuration— the  "Little  Church  Around  the  Cor- 
ner." 1 

Mr.  Holland  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
who  came  with  him  to  America,  died  in  1834,  and 
in  1839  or  I^4°  ne  married  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  De 
Luce,  formerly  of  the  Park  Theatre.  Shortly  after 
his  death  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  among  the 
profession,  originating  in  New  York,  to  give  the 
widow  and  children  benefits  in  as  many  theatres  as 
could  be  obtained  for  the  purpose.  I  think  over 
$10,000  was  realized  from  the  enterprise.  It  was 
a  great  testimonial. 

George  Holland  was  one  of  the  funniest  men 
known  to  our  stage.  He  was  not  an  artist  in  the 

1  Joseph  Jefferson,  the  celebrated  comedian,  on  behalf 
of  the  family  of  Mr.  Holland,  made  application  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Sabine  to  officiate  at  his  funeral,  but,  learning 
that  he  had  been  an  actor,  he  declined  to  do  so.  He  recom- 
mended Mr.  Jefferson  to  go  to  the  "little  church  around 
the  corner,"  where  such  things  were  done — who  accord- 
ingly left  him,  exclaiming,  "All  honor  to  the  little  church 
around  the  corner!"  The  name  has  become  historic.  It 
is  an  old  story,  but  I  record  it  for  the  sake  of  history. 


George  IjJoHanb  73 


way  of  bringing  out  points  of  character ;  his  aim  ^ 
was  to  ransack  the  part  for  points  of  fun.     He  was  v 
the  very  spirit  of  farce,  and  an  adept  in  the  em-^ 
ployment  of  every  comic  device  that  would  amuse^ 
his  audience.     He  seemed  to  care  as  much  for  fa'r-v^" 
cical  display  as  for  wit  or  sentiment  or  character^- 
drawing.     He  has  left  no  theatrical  comedy  por-^ 
traits  of  finished  excellence  that  stand  out  as 
plars  like  those  of  Placide  and  Blake.     Indeed, 
often  set  at  naught  all  the  rules,  principles, 
purposes  of  legitimate  acting.     He  was  a  born  fun-\X 
maker,  and  made  laughter  for  a  generation.     He^/- 
will  also  be  remembered  for  his  gentleness  and  his 
humanity,  his  domestic  virtues  and  his  unsullied 
life,  and  his  patience  and  fortitude  through  calam- 
ity and  suffering. 


10 


CHARLES  FISHER 


CHARLES  FISHER. 


I  REMEMBER    well    the    first    appearance    ofi/ 
Charles  Fisher  in  America.     It  was  at  Burton's  -; 
Theatre  in  Chambers  Street,  and  the  date  was/ 
August  30,  1852.     The  play  was  the  "School  of 
Reform,"   Mr.   Fisher  acting  Ferment.     On  the 
same  evening,  by  the  way,  and  in  the  same  play, 
Lysander  Steele  Thompson  made  his  American  de- 
but, appearing  as  Bob  Tyke.    This  actor's  specialty  \x 
was  the  Yorkshireman  of  the  stage,  a  line  in  which^ 
he  stood  alone  and  unapproachable.    Actors  there  . 
have  been  who  played  the  same  parts,  and  with  a 
sufficient  mastery  of  the  dialect  to  pass  muster ;  but, 
compared  with  Thompson's,  their  assumptions  were^- 
like  artificial  flowers  in  a  painted  vase  beside  a 
clump  of  spring  violets  in  the  dew  of  morning. 
The  semblance  was  there,  but  the  delicious  fra- 
grance of  nature's  breath  it  was  not  theirs  to  give. 
The  native  freshness  and  out-of-door  breezy  spirit  . 
were  Thompson's  own  and  born  with  him.     His  \/ 
engagement  was  followed  by  all  the  known  plays 
in  which  there  was  a  Zekiel  Homespun  or  a  Robin 

77 


Roughhead.     I  have  seen  many  tragedians  and 
artists  in  melodrama,  many  "old  men"  and  light 
comedians,  many  funny  men  and  eccentric  actors, 
I  have  seen  one  Yorkshireman  only — Lysander 
^"Thompson. 

There  was  much  interest  manifested  in  this  debut 
of  Mr.  Fisher,  for  it  was  well  known  that  Burton 
had  imported  him  to  succeed  Lester  (Lester  Wai- 
lack)   in  light  comedy,  the  latter  being  about  to 
withdraw  to  join  his  father's  forces  at  Wallack's 
Lyceum;  but  the  most  indulgent  hope  could  not 
expect  that  the  new  arrival  would  cause  the  audi- 
ence to  forget  for  a  moment  the  delightful  impres- 
sions made  by  the  most  accomplished  light  come- 
dian then  living.     And  so  it  proved.     Whatever 
may  have  been  Fisher's  promise  in  certain  direc- 
tions, his  youthful  heroes  of  the  stage  were  not 
destined  to  efface  the  recollections  of  Mr.  Lester; 
^,-but  it  was  not  long  before  the  fiddle  of  Triplet  and 
\^lhQ  cross-garterings  of  Malvolio  emancipated  him 
v/x"from  the  bondage  of  light  comedy,  revealed  his 
true  powers,  and  made  the  public  grateful  to  Bur- 
L  ton  for  introducing  to  New  York  one  of  the  most 
artistic  comedians  of  the  day. 

The  second  revival  of  "Twelfth  Night"  gave 
Fisher  an  opportunity.  He  was  cast  as  Mal- 
volio. Blake  had  previously  played  it,  and,  al- 
though rather  portly  for  the  part,  that  great  actor 
had  given  a  highly  finished  performance.  But 
Fisher  was  born  in  yellow  stockings  and  cross-gar- 


Cfjarlc^  f  itifytt  79 


tered,  and  I  believe  there  will  be  no  question  ^x 
among  those  who  remember  the  impersonation  asvx 
to  the  subtlety  of  conception,  the  felicity  of  por^ 
trayal,  and  fidelity  to  detail  that  so  eminently  disv 
tinguished  it.  From  first  to  last  it  was  a  master- 
piece. His  manner  when  he  interrupts  the  orgies 
of  Sir  Toby,  the  Clown,  and  Aguecheek,  and  dur- 
ing their  maudlin  mockery,  was  full  of  rare  sug- 
gestiveness;  the  great  scene  in  the  garden,  where 
he  falls  into  the  trap  set  by  Maria,  was  one  of  the 
finest  pieces  of  acting  known  to  our  stage.  The 
audience  were  as  intent  during  its  progress  as  if 
their  own  lives  and  fortunes  hung  upon  that  enig- 
matic letter.  When  it  comes  home  to  him  at  last 
that  he  indeed  is  the  favored  of  Olivia,  and  he 
gives  full  rein  to  his  fancy  respecting  his  future 
exaltation — how  he  must  bear  himself,  the  lofty 
air  he  will  assume,  the  consideration  he  will  ex- 
tort— he  was  inimitable.  Already  he  is  clothed  in 
yellow  stockings  and  cross-gartered,  and  he  smiles, 
as  he  struts,  the  smile  his  deceiver  declares  so  be- 
comes him.  In  the  ensuing  scene  before  Olivia, 
where  the  stockings  and  smiles  play  so  important 
a  part,  he  was  equally  fine;  and  if  Fisher  had 
played  nothing  else,  his  Malvolio  would  remain  an 
interpretation  of  the  highest  class  and  a  glory  of 
dramatic  art.  The  press  with  one  accord  united 
in  its  praise,  and  Mr.  Richard  Grant  White,  whose 
ability  to  judge  of  Shaksperian  delineations  was 
well  known,  confessed,  in  the  columns  of  the 


8o  31  4Brou£  of  Comcbiang 


"Courier  and  Inquirer/'  that  he  did  not  know 
where  Mr.  Fisher  learned  to  play  Malvolio  so 
well. 

\  And  now  Fisher's  powers  were  revealed  and  his 
line  in  a  measure  ascertained.  Yet  he  continued 
to  play,  during  his  three  seasons  at  Burton's,  many 
parts  that  were  not  suited  to  his  gifts,  but  always 
playing  with  earnestness  and  comprehension,  and 
always  giving  satisfaction  by  his  zeal  and  intelli- 
j]  gence.  He  had  a  refinement  of  manner,  too,  which 
^.made  acceptable  many  a  light  comedy  part  for 
which  he  was  otherwise  unfitted.  The  instinct  of 
a  gentleman  was  apparent  in  all  that  he  did,  and 
much  was  pardoned  to  that  captivating  spirit. 
With  that  spirit  he  played  Ernest  Vane  in  the  first 
production  of  "Masks  and  Faces,"  before  Triplet 
fell  to  him  by  right  of  artistic  conquest.  Then 
occasionally  he  blossomed  out  and  astonished  ev- 
erybody with  some  unlocked  for  revelation  of  his 
powers  and  accomplishments,  as  in  the  part  of  Sir 
Valentine  May  in  Douglas  Jerrold's  comedy  of 
"St.  Cupid,"  in  which  character  he  delighted  his 
audience  with  a  Terpsichorean  interlude,  a  passage 
at  arms,  and  a  surprising  performance  on  the  vio- 
lin. The  playbill  is  a  little  curious,  and  I  repro- 
duce it  from  Mr.  Laurence  Mutton's  account  of 
the  occasion,  given  in  his  interesting  sketch  of  Mr. 
Fisher,  published  in  the  volume  known  as  "Famous 
Actors  of  To-Day." 


Cljarfcg  jfi$)et  8l 


THIS  MONDAY  EVENING,  FEBRUARY  14,  1853. 
First  time  in  America  the  new  comedy  in  three  acts 

By  DOUGLAS  JERROLD  of 
"  ST.  CUPID;  OR,  DOROTHY'S  FORTUNE." 

Sir  William  Zero HENRY  RUSSELL. 

(  Under  Secretary  of  State) 
Sir  Valentine  May CHARLES  FISHER. 

(His  nephew  and  secretary) 

In  which  character  he  will  dance  the  Minuet  de  la  Cour 
and  Gavotte  with  Mrs.  Skerrett,  execute  several  Airs  on 
the  Violin,  and  go  thro'  an  Assault  d'Armes  with  Mr. 
Holman. 

Dr.  Budd  TOM  JOHNSTON. 

(A  country  schoolmaster) 
Ensign  BelleHeur GEORGE  HOLMAN. 

(A  Jacobite) 
Checker    WILLIAM  H.  NORTON. 

(A  spy  employed  by  Zero) 
Hawke MOSES  W.  FISK. 

(An  official) 
Trundle MR.  GOURLAY. 

(Zero's  servant) 

Dorothy  Budd  MRS.  SKERRETT. 

Juno,  her  domestic  Miss  JANE  HILL. 

(A  country  girl) 
Queen  Bee MR.  BURTON. 

(A  Gipsy  woman) 
II 


82 


I  quote  from  Mr.  Hutton's  lively  description  of 
the  performance  : 

Mr.  Burton's  rendering  of  a  Queen  Bee  was,  as  may  be 
imagined,  exceedingly  rich;  but  the  great  honors  were 
carried  away  by  Fisher  as  St.  Cupid,  in  white  tights,  a 
tunic,  gauze  wings,  a  flowing  wig,  and  a  simper.  His 
appearance  was  the  signal  of  great  applause  from  the  pit 
and  the  gods,  increased  by  his  pirouetting  with  Mrs. 
Skerrett  and  his  "set  to"  with  Holman,  and  made  per- 
fectly tumultuous  when,  taking  the  violin  from  the  leader 
of  the  orchestra,  John  Cooke,  he  executed  the  several 
airs  set  down  for  him  in  the  bill.  His  fiddling,  not  the 
least  of  his  accomplishments,  was  a  great  and  a  very 
pleasant  surprise  to  the  audience,  and  no  Ole  Bull  or 
Paganini  was  ever  more  enthusiastically  received  or  en- 
cored; six  or  eight  times  he  returned  the  instrument  to 
the  amused  conductor,  only  to  have  it  handed  back  to 
him  at  the  mandates  of  the  dictators  in  front,  until  "St. 
Cupid"  seemed  likely  to  become  nothing  more  than  a 
violin  concert,  with  Mr.  Fisher  as  sole  performer. 


This  accomplishment  was  afterwards  seen  to  great 
advantage  in  Triplet. 

As  I  have  said,  when  "Masks  and  Faces"  was 
first  produced  at  Burton's,  Fisher  acted  Ernest 
Vane.  The  cast  was  as  follows  : 

Sir  Charles  Pomander  .  .  MR.  GEORGE  JORDAN. 
Mr.  Ernest  Vane  .......      "    CHARLES  FISHER. 

Colley  Cibber  ..........      "    GEORGE  H.  BARRETT. 

James  Quin  ............      "    G.  H.  ANDREWS. 

James  Triplet  ..........      "    W.  E.  BURTON. 

Lysimachus  Triplet   ----  MASTER  CHAS.  T.  PARSLOE,  JR. 


Mr.  Soaper  MR.  WILLIAM  H.  NORTON. 

Mr.  Snarl "    TOM  JOHNSTON. 

Mrs.  Vane MRS.  BUCKLAND. 

Peg  Woffington  Miss  CHARLOTTE  MITCHELL. 

Kitty  Clive  MRS.  GEORGE  HOLMAN. 

Mrs.  Triplet  "     HOUGH. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  Burton  made  a  good 
deal  of  Triplet.     It  was  a  sympathetic  and  appre- 
ciative performance,  and  of  course  the  comic  possi- 
bilities of  the  character  were  entertainingly  devel- 
oped.    It  might  seem  to  thoughtful  observers  that^. 
Burton  unduly  forced  the  comic  element,  and  sov 
robbed  the  characterization  of  its  pathetic  interest  ;v 
and  it  is  true  that  Fisher  expressed  the  blended 
humor  and  pathos  of  the  part  with  an  artistic  deli-v 
cacy  that  was  not  natural  to  Burton.     Noting  Fish- 
er's excellence  in  the  part,  Burton  soon  surrendered 
it,  and  Triplet  took  its  place  in  Mr.  Fisher's  gallery 
with  M  ah  olio  and  Sir  Valentine  May. 

I  have  mentioned  that  Fisher's  acquaintance  with 
the  violin  was  displayed  to  great  advantage  in 
Triplet.  Mr.  Hutton,  in  the  sketch  already  re- 
ferred to,  dwells  upon  the  happy  and  touching 
manner  in  which  the  violin  appeared  as  a  human- 
izing influence  in  his  portrayal.  As  a  companion 
picture  I  recall  the  capital  scene  where  Woffington, 
having  played  Lady  Bountiful  to  the  forlorn  fam- 
ily, completes  her  conquest  by  calling  for  the  fiddle 
and  dancing  "Cover  the  Buckle"  to  Fisher's  in- 
spiring execution, 


84  3U  <*Broup  of  Comebiang 

^      During  Fisher's   engagement  with   Burton  he 
was  cast  in  a  variety  of  parts,  and  made  many 

''  friends  by  the  evident  sincerity  of  his  perform- 
ances. This  sincerity  was  a  marked  trait  of  his 
acting,  and  had  a  value  of  its  own.  It  was  ap- 
parent that  here  was  an  actor  who  was  conscien- 
tiously striving  to  do  his  very  best.  As  time  wore 
on,  other  traits  and  graces  came  into  view,  all  of 
which  denoted  artistic  progress  and  suggested 
much  versatile  capacity. 

The  parts  played  by  Mr.  Fisher  at  Burton's 
would  make  a  long  list.  I  have  mentioned  Ernest 
Vane  and  Triplet,  and  also  Malvolio  and  Valentine 
May.  In  Burton's  revivals  of  "The  Tempest," 
"A  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  and  "The  Merry 
Wives"  he  was  cast  respectively  as  Prospero,  The- 
seus, and  Page— many  years  afterwards,  when  one 
of  Augustin  Daly's  company,  he  essayed  Sir  John 
Falstaff  in  "The  Wives."  He  had  then  ripened 

*        f     $    \\ 

->  u  into  an  experienced  and  resourceful  comedian.    As 
Prospero,   in   "The  Tempest,"  he  was  most  ac- 
ceptable in  dignity  and  authority,  and  as  Theseus, 
in  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  he  gave  to  the 
\i  part  a  royal  demeanor  with  a  touch  of  sentiment. 
<  His  delivery  of  the  poetry  was  full  of  feeling,  and 
J  remember  the  glowing  enthusiasm  with  which 
v  he  spoke  the  eloquent  lines  descriptive  of  his  fa- 
mous hounds : 

"My  hounds  are  bred  out  of  the  Spartan  kind, 
So  flew'd,  so  sanded;  and  their  heads  are  hung 


8s 


With  ears  that  sweep  away  the  morning  dew ; 

Crook-kneed,  and  dew-lapped  like  Thessalian  bulls; 

Slow  in  pursuit,  but  match'd  in  mouth  like  bells, 

Each  under  each.    A  cry  more  tunable 

Was  never  holloa'd  to,  nor  cheered  with  horn, 

In  Crete,  in  Sparta,  nor  in  Thessaly : 

Judge  when  you  hear." 

He  was  also  seen  in  many  of  the  old  and  standard 
comedies — Captain  Absolute,  in  "The  Rivals" ; 
Joseph  Surface,  in  "The  School  for  Scandal"  ;  Dick 
Dowlas,  in  "The  Heir  at  Law";  Charles  Torrens 
and  Captain  Maguire,  in  "The  Serious  Family" ; 
and  many  others.  Among  original  parts  might 
be  mentioned  Black  Jack,  in  "Janet  Pride,"  and 
Richard  Haughty,  in  "The  Fox  Hunt";  he  also 
played  Dymond,  in  "Heart  of  Gold,"  and  Jacob 
Kindly,  in  the  "Upper  Ten  and  Lower  Twenty." 
After  leaving  Burton  in  1855  rie  played  at  the 
Broadway,  supporting  the  various  stars  that  ap- 
peared there,  acquitting  himself  most  creditably/, 
in  a  round  of  varied  parts,  showing  notable  talent  V 
and  constantly  adding  to  his  sum  of  knowledge  and,, 
experience. 

He  joined  Burton's  forces  again  in  1856,  at  his 
new  theatre,  playing  old  parts  and  new  ones, 
among  the  last  Jesse  Rural,  in  "Old  Heads  and 
Young  Hearts."  In  following  years  he  played  at 
Niblo's  and  at  Laura  Keene's  theatre,  and  then,  in 
1861,  came  to  Wallack's,  where  he  remained  for 
ten  years. 
IIA 


86  31 4Broup  of  <ffomctiiang 


These  ten  years  were  fruitful  in  opportunities 
J  for  advancement  and  artistic  achievement,  and  Mr. 
Fisher  made  the  most  of  them.  On  that  famous 
stage  he  was  associated  with  such  artists  as  Lester 
Wallack,  John  Gilbert,  William  Rufus  Blake,  Mrs. 
Hoey  and  Mrs.  Vernon,  and  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  he  was  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  those 
high-class  performers.  The  audiences  speedily 
recognized  the  sincerity  and  fine  quality  of  his  por- 
trayals, and  as  speedily  he  won  the  admiring  es- 
teem of  theatre-goers  who  were  accustomed  to  the 
best.  His  name  was  linked  with  that  of  Lester 
Wallack  and  John  Gilbert  as  a  trio  of  unsurpassed 
excellence,  and  to  witness  the  acting  of  three  such 
artists  was  a  treat  indeed. 

As  time  went  on,  Fisher  ripened  in  conception 
and  execution,  until  his  faculties  were  completely 
f  under  his  command,  so  that,  within  his  limitations, 
v   each  character  he  essayed  became  a  finished  pic- 
«  ture.    The  refinement  of  manner  I  have  particular- 
ized was  still  a  characteristic  of  his  acting;  hu- 
morous and  even  rollicking  episodes  were  treated 
with  conspicuous  delicacy.     And  it  may  be  said 
here  that  Mr.  Fisher's  capacity  for  the  expression 
of  humor  was  very  much  greater  than  most  people 
supposed.    He  was  not  given  to  comic  extravagance, 
but  he  had  a  keen  appreciation  of  mirthful  effect, 
and  knew  how  to  indicate  and  support  a  humorous 
situation,  and  to  duly  emphasize  the  points  of  ludi- 
vcrous  meaning.     But  what  he  did  was  thought-pro- 


yi/i/ 

voking  as  well  as  mirth-provoking,  and  was  sug-  l 
gestive  rather  than  broadly  rendered.    In  Malvolio, 
for  example,  he  never  was  tempted  to  farcical  aban- 
don, even  when  cross-gartered  and  wearing  the 
self-deluded  smile.    Throughout  he  maintained  his 
dignified  self-importance.    When  he  read  the  letter 
in  the  garden  you  were  amused  at  the  trap  into 
which  he  had  fallen,  but  you  condemned  the  trap 
as  much  as  you  ridiculed  the  victim.    The  humor 
of  the  situation  was  so  delicately  shaded  that  you 
felt  like  excusing  his  presumption.     This  is  per- 
haps another  way  of  saying  that  Fisher  did  not 
buffoon  the  part.     He  might  have  stirred  the  risi-  > 
bilities  more,  but  he  was  judicious  and  his  humor' 
was  pathetic.     It  was  the  same  with  Triplet.    He/ 
had  studied  the  part  closely,  and  he  knew  its  pa-v 
thos,  its  sentiment  and  its  humor.     He  played  ity 
naturally  and  consistently,  and  with  a  due  regard  . 
to  the  character's  peculiarities  and  environment. 
The  humor  was  brought  out  subtly  and  delicately,/ 
but  was  none  the  less  humor  for  being  quietly  and 
almost  unconsciously  rendered. 

While  at  Wallack's,  Fisher  played  many  parts, 
and  widely  extended  his  repertory.  He  appeared 
in  most  of  the  comedies  and  dramas  produced  at 
that  famous  house,  and  was  the  original  in  numer- 
ous characters.  Mr.  Hutton,  already  quoted,  gives 
with  characteristic  diligence  the  following  valuable 
list :  "He  was  the  first  George  D'Alroy  in  Robert- 
son's 'Caste'  at  Wallack's,  to  the  Esther  of  Rose 


88  31  «Broup  of  Comebiang 

Eytinge,  May  3,  1869;  the  original  Beau  Farintosh 
in  'School'  during  the  same  season;  the  original 
Arthur  Mompesson  in  'Progress/  the  original 
Prince  Perovsky  in  'Ours/  and  the  original  Tom 
Styles  in  'Society/  He  created  Gilbert  Feather- 
stone  in  'Lost  in  London/  Rawlings  in  'Lost  at 
Sea/  Dr.  Bland  in  'Bosom  Friends/  Father  Malone 
in  'Shamus  O'Brien/  Tom  Robinson  in  'Never 
Too  Late  To  Mend/  Tom  Sutherland  in  'The  Fa- 
vorite of  Fortune/  Mr.  Davis  in  'Flying  Scud/ 
Matthew  Leigh  in  'Rosedale/  Digby  Grant  in  'The 
Two  Roses/  Bowles  in  'Coquette/  Lawyer  Good- 
win in  'Minnie's  Luck/  Brackenbury  in  'Pure 
Gold/  Didier  in  'The  Fast  Family/  Rawdon  Scuda- 
more  in  'Hunted  Down/  Dick  Hartley  in  'How 
She  Loves  Him/  the  Major  in  'Henry  Dunbar/ 
Colonel  Epee  in  'The  Lancers/  Robert  Redburn  in 
'The  Lancashire  Lass/  and  Randall  in  'Randall's 
Thumb'  " — truly  a  wide  range  and  showing  un- 
usual versatility.  Mr.  Hutton  thinks  Mr.  Fisher 
made  a  mistake  in  leaving  Wallack's,  and  very 
likely  he  did,  for  the  association  must  have  been 
as  congenial  and  agreeable  as  it  had  been  long,  and 
it  does  not  seem  that  he  bettered  his  professional 
standing  by  making  a  change.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
he  ceased  to  be  a  member  of  the  company  in  June, 
1872,  and  took  his  leave  of  Wallack's  stage  on 
July  20  in  the  same  year,  playing  Noah  Learoyd  in 
"The  Long  Strike." 

His  next  engagement  was  with  Augustin  Daly 


Cfjarfeg  figfytt  89 


at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre,  where  he  opened  as 
Old  Dornton,  in  "The  Road  to  Ruin,"  October  28, 
1872.  This  impersonation  revived  recollections  of 
Blake  and  Gilbert  in  the  character,  and  it  was  the 
opinion  of  critics  that  Fisher's  effort,  though  most 
meritorious,  was  not  equal  to  that  of  either.  How- 
ever near  he  may  have  approached  Gilbert,  I  can 
well  believe  that  he  fell  short  with  respect  to  Blake. 
That  great  actor  had  been  dead  some  years,  but 
the  memory  of  his  Old  Dornton  could  not  be 
charmed  away  even  by  Gilbert. 

Fisher  was  esteemed  a  valuable  addition  to  Mr. 
Daly's  force,  and  his  abilities  were  displayed  in 
parts  suited  to  his  gifts  and  others  not  so  con- 
genial, with  now  and  then  a  more  ambitious  ven- 
ture. Not  long  after  "The  Road  to  Ruin"  one  of 
these  ventures  occurred  in  the  production  of  "The 
Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,"  Fisher  playing  Fal- 
staff  for  the  first  time.  I  made  a  passing  refer- 
ence to  the  fact  in  the  early  part  of  my  sketch. 
The  comedy  was  presented  on  November  19,  1872. 
The  cast  was  as  follows : 


Sir  John  Falstaff CHARLES  FISHER. 

Fenton  B.  T.  RINGGOLD. 

Shallow  D.  WHITING. 

Slender    JAMES  LEWIS. 

Ford  GEORGE  CLARKE. 

Page Louis  JAMES. 

William  Page  Miss  JENNIE  YEAMANS. 

Sir  Hugh  Evans WILLIAM  DAVIDGE. 


9°  5t  <*Brottp  of  Comcbiang 


Host  of  the  Garter  Inn OWEN  FAWCETT. 

Dr.  Caius   W.  J.  LE  MOYNE. 

Bardolph  J.  A.  MACKEY. 

Pistol  GEORGE  DE  VERE. 

Nym   J.  H.  BURNETT. 

Robin  Miss  GERTY  NORWOOD. 

Simple   WILLIAM  BEEKMAN. 

Mistress  Ford  Miss  FANNY  DAVENPORT. 

Mistress  Page  "      FANNY  MORANT. 

Mistress  Anne  Page  "      SARA  JEWETT. 

Mistress  Quickly   MRS.  G.  H.  GILBERT. 

The  revival  was  a  distinct  success,  and  was  gen- 
erally well  acted,  as  it  could  hardly  fail  to  be  with 
so  striking  a  distribution.     Of  course  critical  in- 
terest centred  on  Fisher's  performance  of  Sir  John, 
and  that  it  was  intelligently  conceived  and  denoted 
V  careful  and  thoughtful  study  and  was  apprecia- 
v  tively  executed  there  was  no  question.     The  actor 
was  not  likely  to  do  anything  else.    Whatever  the 
./shortcoming,  it  was  owing  to  Mr.  Fisher's  nature. 
i/It  was  not  in  him  to  depict  easily  the  ingrained 
,  coarseness  of  the  knight,  and  to  simulate  his  vices 
'and  repelling  characteristics.     He  could  portray 
the  braggart  and  sack-drinker  and  deliver  his  wit, 
I  but  he  could  not  abandon  himself  with  unction  to 
his  gross  propensities. 

Fisher  continued  to  play  at  Daly's  for  some 
years,  and  was  seen  in  a  round  of  important  parts, 
such  as  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  Polonius,  Triplet,  and 
others,  also  in  the  manager's  Shaksperian  reviv- 
als, and  likewise  in  the  succession  of  plays  pro- 


91 


duced  for  the  display  of  Miss  Ada  Rehan's  abili- 
ties, in  which  his  ripe  art  made  him  a  distinguished 
support.  The  years  were  telling  upon  him,  how- 
ever, and  his  appearances  became  fewer  and  fewer, 
each  one  showing  his  increasing  feebleness.  He 
retired  from  the  stage  in  1890,  his  last  performance 
being  A  dam  in  "As  You  Like  It."  He  died  in 
New  York  on  the  nth  of  June,  1891. 

CHARLES  FISHER  will  be  remembered  as  a  sterling  \J 
comedian  who  acted  always  acceptably,  and  in  a  y 
certain  round  of  parts  won  unqualified  distinction.^ 
He  was  painstaking  and  sincere  in  all  that  he  did, 
and  his  performances  throughout  were  informed 
by  a  high  intelligence.     In  his  light  comedy  as- 
sumptions, wherein  he  was  conscious  of  his  limi-v 
tations,  he  acted  with  the  same  earnestness  that, 
animated  his  masterpieces.     His  masterpieces  werev 
revelations  of  felicitous  conception  and  execution, 
and  are  worthy  to  be  ranked  among  the  finest  ar- 
tistic portrayals  of  our  time.     It  is  a  great  satis- 
faction to  lovers  of  the  stage  that  its  history  is 
graced  by  the  record  of  delineations  so  admirable. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Fisher  was  interesting 
and  charming.  There  was  something  knightly  in 
his  bearing,  and  his  voice  always  carried  with  it  a 
ring  of  tuneful  fervor.  I  know  not  how  he  may 
have  impressed  others,  but  whenever  I  saw  him  I 
felt  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  refined  spirit 
and  a  noble,  true-hearted  gentleman. 


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